A Chance to Live
by Crazyscientist85
Summary: After opening a Vault, a young Vault Hunter finds himself in a strange place with even stranger people. They offer him something that no one bothered to: a chance to live like a human being. Awesome, right? Well... there is only one problem... these people have to deal with one of the worst types of Vault Hunters out there. The morally bankrupt veteran. Rated M for violence.
1. Brave New World

_Now won't you listen honey, while I say,  
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?  
Don't say we must part,  
Don't break your baby's heart._

These were the words that could be heard echoing through the forest on one, seemingly typical, warm day. That day, the tourists thought that the forest was cursed. An argument quickly shot down by the locals. Even thought the locals themselves had no idea who, or what, played that music.

 _You know I've loved you for these many years,  
Loved you night and day,  
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?  
Listen while I say..._

No one could exactly pinpoint the source. No one, except yours truly.

You see, somewhere in this forest, a boy was sleeping on the ground covered with various kinds of plant life. And while sleeping isn't the appropriate in this situation (to be honest, more like "fucking bleeding to death"), I can tell you that said boy is unconscious. One could say that he went through Hell and back.

With a muffled moan, the boy raised his head slowly.

"Fucking..." He seethed as he slowly got on his knees. "My head is ringing like a gong..."

Barely able to hold himself together, the boy fell on the ground below him. His body slowly rolled to prevent himself from choking on the grass. The eyes took some time to adjust to the bright, cloudless sky above him.

"Wut... wait a minute..."

Slowly, he raised his abdomen with the help of his already weakened arms. Something wasn't right. Something just didn't _feel_ right. Since when that speck of dust had... this? Big trees? Blue sky? The Hell?

" _Alright Bray. Don't panic, try to get some focus... and shut that fucking music off._ "

"Bray", short for Braylon, tapped his index finger on the touchscreen of his PDA 9000, a personal  
bracer-shaped device on his left arm. This little miracle was the very best piece of tech humanity could offer. Naturally, an advanced device like that could be made in very few numbers. In fact, it is so rare, that finding/owning it is even more rare than a miracle itself! Truly blessed are those who own such thing.

"Work, you stupid piece of scrap metal!" Braylon shouted. For the last few minutes he tried to discover his whereabouts. But he always got the same message from the AI.

 **Error. Connection denied.**

Say what? Connection denied? In an era where every colonized planet has _at least_ five satellites? Wait, let me correct myself. They have satellites if they are some kind of backwater/redneck of a planet in the middle of bumfuck (insert name) galaxy. Modern tech requires no satellites to work.

Ah, but wait! What if he ended on a planet not yet colonized from humanity? Ridiculous, but possible.

All of that could wait for now. He needed to get his shit together. And judging by his body covered in cuts and bruises, that's not gonna happen very soon. No worries though, his PDA will take care of it.

Remember when I said how much advanced this device was? Well, I wasn't lying, I can tell you that. It has... quite _a lot_ of functions. Some of them are the following:

All ECHO functions integrated into itself (such as, weapon storage unit, full 24/7 ECHOnet connection etc.), the ability to materialize/dematerialize matter at will (the dematerialized matter will be stored in the PDA and then released when the owner wants to) and even something known as "Holographic Weapon Maker" (or HWM for short). HWM allows the PDA to materialize CQC weapons made of solid light that can aid the user depending on the situation. There are many of these "tools", but Braylon only managed to unlock three of them for now.

First, there is the "Holo Sabre" which is a large curved blade (very similar to a claw) that can cut through 98% of hardest alloys known to man. Then there is the "Holo Claw", three smaller blades shaped like claws that help greatly when the user needs to tear (or grab) something. The last is the "Holo Sawblade". Unlike the other two, this baby allows the PDA to shoot holographic sawblades at his enemies. Perfect when you want to "surprise" someone.

Oh, I forgot to mention one of the most important. The PDA has something called _implants_. Small chip-like thingies that increase the performance of its owner. And Braylon has quite a lot of them into himself. Such as one that slowly heals his sorry-ass over time. Pretty cool, eh?

I must warn you, however, that this is not the only equipment Braylon has. He quickly checked his inventory and sighed in relief when he saw he had all of his weapons.

Yes, yes. Braylon has _weapons_. But what kind of seventeen-year-old could possibly carry such dangerous toys around? A seventeen-year-old that is a Vault Hunter, that's what! And I hope you _do_ know what a Vault Hunter is. I will only describe it to you in one word.

Badass.

Right, the weapons. So he has quite an arsenal, you know. Let's see...

For small guns there are the Chimera, the Unforgiven and the Hard Reboot. One shotgun called Bullpup, two sniper rifles (Omni-Cannon and Trespasser*), two assault rifles (non-elemetnal Fusillade and the Damned Cowboy), a rocket launcher (Nukem), two laser guns (incendiary Mining-Laser and the cryo Excalibastard), two grenade mods (explosive Meganade and corrosive Pandemic)... and as a cherry on top, a shield called The Bee.

Yeah, quite impressive indeed.

Now that we have put this little thing away, let's focus back on that kid.

Since he had no idea where to go, he simply decided to go into a random direction. Contrary to popular belief, it is a known fact that when you search for something, you will never find it. If you do, however, choose to do something random, you end up doing exactly what you wanted in the first place!

And right now, he needed new clothes.

As he walked through the forest, the boy took a look on the local flora and fauna. It looked eerily similar to that from Earth but with a few exceptions here and there. Nothing noteworthy.

For some reason, Braylon felt relaxed. The scenery was... calming. Birds were chirping, rabbits would run away... and nothing tried to kill him yet!

Oops. Spoke to soon.

Just as he decided to take a break and enjoy some tranquillity, a group of _very_ fucked up wildlife jumped out from their hiding places and menacingly growled at their next victim.

If I were one of those nerds, I would say that these things resembled those mythical werewolves from fantasy novels, videogames and whatnot. The only thing different is that these things had no sense of creativity. I mean, all of them looked as if they were fucking clones of each other. Same black fur, same stupid white (bony?) mask and same stupid red eyes.

Clones. _Clones._ Better not think of that now.

"I don't have time for this." Braylon sighed as he picked Unforgiven, the only gun he always has in his holster, and placed one bullet into each werewolf rip-off. The Jakobs revolver was powerful enough to tear trough that pathetic attempt at defending the head with ease. Combine that with an enhanced Vault Hunter and you get a pretty awesome result.

Then, the things started... _melting_. Melting into black smoke. For a moment he thought that his mind was playing tricks on him. As usual.

Time was money, so without further ado, Braylon continued down his path hoping to find any kind of civilisation.

Well dip me into chocolate and throw me to the lesbians. What a find.

It was a city!

City means humans. Humans mean shops. And shops mean clothes.

The young Vault Hunter stared at the city in front of him. He was disappointed, kinda. He hoped it would be bigger. _This_... can't even be called a city. It looks more like something from 1800s. Where are the flying cars and shit? Nevertheless, it gave him something to think about.

Did he go back in time?

He tried to remember what happend to him before he got here. But all he got were headaches and something more akin to blurry images and sounds.

He noticed that he was here alone. His friends (if you can call them that) are not anywhere near. If they were, he would pick their ECHO devices and their signals. He also noticed how his PDA still had no connection to ECHOnet, which would gave him a vague idea of where he is in the galaxy. Good thing that the PDA can automatically make maps of the region he passes through.

Braylon reached the walls of the town, which was weird in itself. Why a city needs a wall with all those technological defenses that are capable of frying an amoeba from few kilometers away?

Dismissing those thoughts, Braylon climbed the walls and "infiltrated" into the city.

* * *

It really was nothing special. But he had to admit that the streets were very clean. Clean and free of any bandit scum that would gladly make a pair of boots from your skin.

He also found something paradoxical. While the houses and the streets would give the impression of an 1800s city, the fashi certainly did not. Seriously though, what's up with all these fucking flashy colors? If they were on a battlefield, they would just be way more easy to kill.

But this isn't a battlefield. And this _definitely_ isn't his homeplanet Pandora. There is just no way to make a city such as this on that hellhole. Take Opportunity for example.

What baffled him even more were the vehicles. Sure, Pandora has many vehicles on wheels but why a city has those?

Maybe he was overthinking things. He needed to complete his objective. And fast.

Everywhere he went the citizens would just stare at him in horror. Some even ran away screaming. Typical city boys and girls. They see someone covered from head to toe in blood and everyone looses their minds. Hell, they probably think that not drinking tea is anarchy. Just like the British.

Hey look, a clothes store. Finally.

He entered and said "hello" to the girl behind the counter. The reaction has no need to be described. Fuck cities.

Anyway, he went to straight for the male clothes and it almost made him puke.

" _Christ, is this what kids wear these days?_ "

Nothing that really matched his style. Not that he had any.

Still, he barely found what he needed. Camo jeans, black shoes, orange T-shirt and a black varsity jacket with olive green sleeves (which he decided to keep unbuttoned). Generic, but that's the point. He needed to blend into the society. He was _very_ (in)famous and the last thing he needed was someone recognizing him. Wouldn't be nice that for once he could do something without someone going on a convenient rampage which just so happens to be near him?

Yea right.

A group of agent Smith wannabes rushed into the shop with some Lightsaber knock-offs.

" _Someone watched Star Wars a bit too much..._ "

He didn't bother listening to the group of bandits which were shouting something to the poor girl. What made him angry was the girl, which was about to cry. Two of those people started destroying the place for emphasis while one of them went towards Braylon. The remaining three stood at the entrance.

While pointing the weapon at him, the wannabe idiot started talking about "not trying anything stupid" and to "put the hands in the air" and blah, blah, blah. What an annoying piece of shit.

"Whose kitty litter did I just shit in for you to get pissed off?" Braylon asked nonchalantly the man, which was take by surprise.

"Watch your tone. And your _mouth_. Now put your hands in the air!"

"Okay, okay. Jeez..." Braylon raised his hands high in the air.

As the wannabe went near him to rob him of anything precious he had, Braylon smirked and materialized his Holo Sabre. In one quick motion he sliced the bastard in two equal parts. Needless to say, there was a blood party. Some of it had stained his new clothes.

"Oh for fuck's sake! I just found these, you know?!" He shouted, gaining the attention of the remaining bandits. Their jaws dropped when they saw their comrade becoming half a man he used to be.

Before they could react, Braylon used his gun to place a hole in each of the two mooks who ruined this place. He was pissed off. Meanwhile, the girl just shrieked and passed out.

"Listen, idiots. I am gonna count to ten. You have exactly ten seconds to get your asses out of this place before i decided to gift you all with a new asshole. One..."

The remaining mooks, completely terrified by the display of power, immediately left the building and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. It was kinda funny.

Before braylon left too, he took a new pair of the same clothes and placed few dollars on the counter.

* * *

Night fell quickly. Braylon spent few hours trying to find a place to wash himself (which was a success) and to explore the city a bit further. Interestingly, he learned that this city was called "Vale". And yet he has no idea on what planet he is.

Heavily sighing, Braylon lowered his head as he walked down the road. His major goal was to go back to Pandora. That and to remember how did he got here.

He was taken out of his musings when he saw a shop which was named "From Dust Till Dawn". Ignoring the obvious pun, Braylon decided to take a look. His curiosity won the battle for his mind.

Inside was an old man selling some kind of... jewelry?

"Hello. Do you need anything?"

"Nah. Just taking a look."

Braylon eyed the crystals in front of him. Aside from being very colorful, they looked like regular jewels. But what really weirded him out were some tubes filled with _something_ on his left. He walked closer to them to investigate further. Each tube had some kind of... dust?

Are those drugs?

He heard the door open and saw the last thing he wanted to see.

Those fucking bandits.

This time there was a white sheep in the family. White, because unlike others this guy had actually some creativity. The man started speaking.

" _Oh my God. A gentleman thief? Thought those were a dying breed. Oh well..._ "

Everything went smooth for the group until three of them started whispering and stared at the boy. Said mooks became extremely pale and ran out. The man in white thoguht that the three cowards had some kind of a mental breakdown. The only lackey left facepalmed and went for the back of the shop... only to be thrown out through a window by a red blur. This was a chance to take down this white asshole.

"Hey pal." The man turned his head slowly to Braylon and raised the visible eyebrow. "Your friends already tried to rob another place. Few of them met their creator. So unless you wanna share their fate, I suggest you to go fuck yourself."

The man only scoffed as he turned around to leave, murmuring something.

" _Huh, I actually thought I would need to spend some bullets..._ "

BOOM!

"What the-"

Braylon ran out to see what could cause such a loud noise. What he found was a girl in a red cape who vanished in a cloud of petals only to reappear towards a nearby building.

" _Great, my mind is fucked. I really hope those weren't drugs..._ " The Vault Hunter thought as he ran towards that building.

With the help of some ladders, he got on the roof. He saw the girl with the red cape and the white man smirking as he stood on some kind of a flying vehicle. A desgin Braylon never saw before.

Bowler hat threw one red crystal (which, Braylon thoguht, resembled one of those back in the shop) and aimed with his _cane_. Whatever this guy's plan was, it quickly became thwarted as Braylon materialized his Hard Reboot shock handgun and fired a bullet at him. The cocksucker got a burst of electricity and screamed in pain, hiding deep into the darkness of the vehicle. In his place stood a woman in a revealing red dress. Her face was completely hidden.

The last thing Braylon expected for her to do was to use sorcery. Seriously. She used sorcery. There was no other way to describe it.

She created some kind of fiery arrows and tossed them at the duo.

Surprise! In their assistance came an older blond woman with a _riding crop_ and performed her sorcery too.

" _Okay... those were definitely drugs..._ "

While Braylon stared with his jaw dropped, the blond woman was able to force the one in the red dress into a retreat.

By then it was too late to reach them. He _could_ take it down with a well placed shot from his Nukem or Trespasser, but he now had other problems to deal with.

The stare of the blonde.

* * *

" _Just how did I get myself into this?!_ "

The blondie and the other girl were having a talk. Pretending to care, Braylon actually picked some information up. Something about slaps on the wrists and pats on the back.

Then the blondie slammed her riding crop on the table, causing the little girl to jump back in surprise. Braylon slightly cringed as his attention was fully hers. Kinda.

Another investigator came in. An old man with a plate full of cookies and a mug, of all people. Braylon raised an eyebrow. Was this man supposed to scare him into some confession?

Before he spoke, the mysterious man looked at Braylon and then at Ruby.

"Ruby Rose..."

" _God, what a dumb name..._ "

The man leaned closer to the nervous girl.

"You..." He looked at Braylon again and then back at her. "...Have silver eyes."

"How perceptive..." Braylon deadpanned. His comment wasn't taken well by the blonde.

"Where did you learn to do _this_?" He showed a device with a video playing her actions. This is what got Braylon's attention for real. A girl like her doing stuff like that? Where has he saw that one? Oh right... forget I asked.

Moreover, from where did she pull that scythe? From her ass?

"...Signal academy?"

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"HAH!" Braylon scoffed. If a farmer's tool is "one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed" then these people have never heard of satellite cannons.

"Well, one teacher in particular..."

"I see." The man gave Ruby a plate of cookies which she devoured in record time.

"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe wielder with that skill before... a dusty old crow..."

"Oh, that-"

"No way!" Braylon interrupted. "Does it happen to be a farmer?" He laughed, gaining the man's stare.

"No, that would be my uncle Qrow! He is a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing and now I'm all like-"

"Can we just get this over with?" Braylon asked. "I have shit to do."

"Language!" Was the response that came from both females in the room.

"And what does a girl like you do in a school designed for warriors?"

" _Say what?_ "

"I... want to be a Huntress."

"Are you perhaps from the Victorian era, kid? It is Hunter, not _Huntress_. But if that's so than go take a blunderbuss and start catching those pigs in the woods! HAHAHA!"

Ruby lowered her head and pouted. Braylon's onslaught made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Young mister!" Ozpin warned. "Could you please give some respect to Miss Rose?"

"Oh, since you asked so nicely." He smirked.

"I have... only two more years at Signal and then I'm going to apply to Beacon. My sister started this year and..."

Braylon shut off from the rest of the conversation and started playing with his PDA. He was bored, that's for sure.

After the man, who goes by the name of "Ozpin" (so he casually heard), asked her if she wanted to come to this academy and skip two years, which she replied with yes, he dismissed her and the other blondie escorted the girl out.

"And then... there's you."

"Yup." Braylon said. "There's me."

Braylon couldn't see the man's face as his eyes were glued to the screen. But he knew for a fact that Ozpin was looking at him.

"You too..."

"Hm?"

"...Tell me, what is your name?"

"Who wants to know?"

"I can assure you that what are we talking here will remain only between us."

"Hmpf. Yeah right. Oh well... name's Braylon."

"Braylon and-"

"Just Braylon." The boy interrupted, his eyes still on the PDA.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm -"

"Can we just skip this formalities bullshit and get straight to the point?"

"Of course. And I advise you to change both your tone and language. There is no need to be hostile."

"Sure, sure..."

There was a brief silence before the man spoke again.

"What is that device on your arm?"

"Something that I'm not willing to share. Next question."

"I see... would you like to become a Huntsman?"

"Not really. I'm already a Vault Hunter. Dunno if I can change careers."

"A 'Vault Hunter'?"

Braylon raised his eyes. "You know what that is, don't you?"

Ozpin shook his head slowly.

"Welp, my fucking luck..."

"Language."

"Yes, _daddy_." Braylon sighed. "And even if I accept, what do I get in return?"

"Exxperience, friendships..."

"Screw that. Where's the money?"

"Money?"

"Yeah. Green paper, big money, jackpot, whatever."

"You receive money as payment for completing jobs after you graduate."

"Yeah, no. I'm already super smart. I don't need a school."

"We also provide students with free food and rooms."

"Okay. Count me in then."

"...That was easy,"

"Believe me, from where I come from, these things are a luxury." The young Vault Hunter said as he got up and tapped the touchscreen of his device, which started playing music.

"Now won't you listen to me honey, while I say... How can you tell me that you're goin' away?" The kid sang as he went out of the room by himself, leaving the older man alone with his thoughts.

Ozpin hummed as he took a sip from his mug.

"Quite lucky indeed..."

* * *

* **For the purpose of the story, this gun will be able to penetrate MOST types of shields. Including things like these magical force fields.**

* * *

 **So how is it? Did you like it? I hope you did. Anyways, I am probably goin to change some more chapters. Emphasis on probably.**

 **Btw, here is some information from the original chapter I feel I need to leave here.**

 **a) This is meant to be a parody of Borderlands. Everyone who played the games knows how OP the Vault Hunters are. After all, Borderlands is a pardoy of FPS games. Expect the bullshit meter to rise astronomically when the VH is fighting.**

 **b)** **The VH in question is a badass due to many "adventures" he had in the past. This unique experience will make him most of the times completely unstoppable. That is, of course, the point. And while he is just one of the main characters, the story will be mostly focused about how he adapts to this crazy new world. This doesn't that others won't be relevant.**

 **c) The fighting scenes are... brutal. And not in a nice way. This is a warning, if you cannot stand casual organ parties or executions Manhunt-style then this is not for you. When fighting important characters, it will be drastically different.**

 **So this is all for now. Once again, I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading it. Bye!**


	2. Hostility

The two self-proclaimed professors, a woman who read too much Harry Potter books and a man who was the embodiment of the "how would young Gandalf look like" theory, paid a Taxi to take the two students to the flying vehicle which would take the first year noobs to this so called academy. What can I say, the car was a piece of shit but at least it was good enough to not give you tetanus just by touching it.

During the drive, Braylon realized that he knew nothing about this planet, its inhabitants, the culture and many other things. Not that he gave a fuck, mind you. Still, it would be helpful if he knew at least the basics but without asking anybody because he would look like a weirdo or amnesiac. But before that…

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"Where is your scythe?"

"My scyt- oh… my Crescent Rose? It's here." The girl shows Braylon her gun which is red as her hood.

" _My god, does she have a fetish for red or something?_ "

"Sorry but last time I checked, scythes and sniper rifles are not the same thing."

The girl giggled. "No silly, it can transform itself from rifle to scythe. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" She then started hugging the weapon as if it were a person.

" _Correction, she has a gun AND red fetish. Bandits from Pandora would be so proud._ "

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"Your gun was awesome back there! How did it do that? Can I see it, please?"

"Sorry, but I don't trust anyone with my weapon. Maybe another time."

The girl pouted. It was cute.

The conversation quickly ended, allowing Braylon to stare at the wonders of architecture. He tried to remember something, anything, that would help him discover how he got on this planet. He searched for clues into his device.

He looked at "Information" section which opened several branches such as "History", "Gadgets & Weapons", "Contracts" and others. Although he found info about the Vaults, he didn't found anything that would give any clue on what exactly happened.

He then searched in the "Inventory". He found his weapons (nice), money (awesome), some food (perfect)… and a rubber duck (the fuck?). How did a rubber duck found its way into his inventory?

" _Why do I have this thing in here?_ " He tried to tap the screen to materialize it until he found out that the girl was staring at the PDA like a dog at his doggy treat.

"Uh… Can I help you?"

"OhmygodhowwhatisthatthingitlookssocoolcanIgiveitalookortouchit…"

"Calm down! Jesus Christ, get off me weirdo!"

The girl returned to her seat and pouted again. "…Sorry."

The remaining part of the journey was basically nothing of interest. The two were quiet for the whole time. Braylon tried (and failed) to remember anything while the girl just looked outside.

* * *

On the airship, or whatever the fuck it is called, it looked quite boring. At least for Braylon who just sat on a bench trying to take a good look at all people who would go to the academy with him. His gaze fell on the red girl who was speaking to a blonde who was hot enough to give any straight guy a boner. Too bad it doesn't work on Braylon though. After all shit he has been through, thinking about tits and asses wasn't even a thing for him. True, he wasn't a romantic type. Mostly because he thought of it as bullshit. This didn't stop him from observing couples. Just looking at them was mind-boggling but when it came to kisses and cute talk… well it made him puke. How do people do this?

Anyway, judging by the interaction between the two, they must be really close. Probably family, even though they don't share anything similar. One of them is probably a bastard child. Again, not that he gave a fuck.

His attention was caught by a man on the television talking to about a failed robbery and how it was stopped by him and the red girl.

" _White Fang? Is that how they call bandits here?_ "

The news quickly changed into a broadcast message from, you guessed it, the Harry Potter fangirl.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy."

Braylon chuckled.

"Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace…"

" _Yeah. I noticed that. I bet this people didn't even have a war. One does not simply have all this pretty shit after a war, that's for sure. Not when a corporation acts like a big brother._ "

"…You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task and now it is our turn to provide you with knowledge and the training to protect our world."

" _The fuck? To protect the world? Wait, are we going to some military academy? Just how fucked up this world is? States training teenage soldiers? That is fucked up even by Pandora standards. Probably half of them cannot even hold a Tediore SMG._ "

His senses picked up the noises of a guy who has issues with flying. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

All the students, including Braylon, finally reached this academy for rich fuckers.

"They call this thing, academy?" Braylon looked at the large castle like building in front of him.

"I've seen better."

No one in the crowd heard the comment as everyone was slowly going towards the building. Braylon waited for everyone to go as much away as possible from him. He wasn't very fond of large crowds. He noticed however, the Red and Yellow talking about something before the latter running away. The girl in red fell on some white (here is another fetish) luggages. This caused the girl wearing, I fucking kid you not, all white to be mad at her. He finally reached the two girls.

"What are you, braindead? Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

" _Dust? What is she talking about?_ "

"Are you even listening to me? Is any- HEY!" The girl in white shouted as Braylon took the bottle containing red dust from her hands. Ignoring her screaming, he shook the thingy to see how it works but quickly gave it back to its owner and jumped on the ground before the Red -

BOOM!

" _What was that about?!_ " Braylon screamed internally.

The bottle was picked up by a girl wearing (surprise, surprise) all black. She moved her gaze from the book in her hand to the bottle.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

"I'm really, really sorry."

Before the white girl could reply, Braylon got up and talked.

"You there!"

"Are you talking to me?" The white girl asked. How dares he interrupt her?!

"Yes, you! What the fuck was that about?!"

It seemed like the girl was offended by his cussing so she turned her back on him.

"Hey! You don't turn your back on me when I'm talking to you!"

She turned around. Now angrier than before. How do I know this? Her twitching eyebrow says it all.

"Do you even know who are you talking to?!"

Before she could continue, Braylon took out his Unforgiven revolver from the holster and pointed the barrel at her head. Needless to say, the three women were shocked by his action.

"Yea, a holier than thou bitch that doesn't check her shit before packing it up into her luggages. Now, you are going to tell me what was that thing and you are going to do it now before I splatter that tiny brain of yours on the ground." His voice was deadly serious. So much so that the red girl felt chills cascading down her spine.

"Dust…" The black girl spoke as she came closer. His gaze turned towards her. "…The energy source of Remnant. Used for everything from weapons to food…"

" _Huh… kinda like Eridium._ "

"…This has the Schnee Dust Company logo on it so I am assuming you are-"

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company one of the largest producers of Dust in the world." The white girl said proudly. Braylon couldn't help himself but laugh hysterically.

"What's so funny?!" The girl demanded.

"Is… hehe… your name… hmpf, really… HAHAHAHA! Your name is fucking Weiss Schnee! HAHAHAHAHA! Your parents must really, and I mean REALLY, hate you! HAHAHA! WHITE SNOW! YOUR NAME LITERALLY MEANS WHITE SNOW IN GERMAN! OH MY GOD, THIS IS BETTER THAN TUNGSTEENA ZARPEDON! HAHAHAHA!"

The girl was really pissed off now. One could tell that steam was coming out from her ears as the face became a tomato.

"You complete idiot! How dare you mock the Schnee family! Apologize to me NOW!"

Braylon holstered his revolver and decided to be an asshole. He made a Nazi salute while pretending to be serious.

"Sieg Heil, my fucking Führer!" He then started laughing as he took the bottle from the hands of the girl in black and continued walking down the road. This really made his day better. He thanked his PDA which has intellectual enhancers (like knowledge of more than twenty languages). Not that he needed them because he was actually quite smart and learned a lot thanks to someone dear to him. He decided that the three kids, despite being his age, were not something worthy to waste his time. But he could hear the white girl bickering in the background. However he had important stuff to do. Like examining this Dust thingy for example.

* * *

Braylon hid somewhere where he hoped no one would bother him. He opened the bottle and poured some of this Dust into his hand.

"Computer, examine the substance."

He put his hand near the device which scanned the small pile of Dust with a blue holographic light.

 **Scanning.**

The device made a silent hum.

Scanning complete. Forming analysis. Please wait.

Error. Unable to complete the analysis. Analysis completed at 28%. More specimens required.

"Interesting… Tell me what you discovered so far."

 **Affirmative. Specimen shows signs of radiation. Unable to determine precise quantities of radiation. Unable to determine the type of radiation. Warning. Specimen is deemed Class III chemical agent. The chemical composition suggests the possibility of the specimen to be a natural occurrence on the planet. Warning. Under no circumstances the specimen must come in contact with organic lifeforms. Should the specimen make contact with organic lifeforms, several symptoms might occur. These symptoms include: nausea, bronchitis, spontaneous combustion, halitosis, euphoria, megalomania, catatonia.**

God, did he love his PDA 9000. He always thought that it would be the result if a Swiss army knife had passionate sex with a supercomputer. Most of the times it saved his life. Fortunately, this thing has a battery that will long outlast his life. A good thing since less than twenty of these babies were made in the galaxy. The corporate jackasses would eat their fucking billion dollar suit and tie just to have one.

What is that? It looks like the students have gathered at the front gate. Probably some welcome talk or stuff like that. He sighed and went towards the large crowd. He found a place near the Red and Yellow who were talking about something... until White Snow came and scared Red, causing her to jump towards Yellow. He didn't quite understand but it was probably more complaining from earlier. This was going to be a long day.

And then Ozpin came. Perfect.

"I'll… keep this brief. We all traveled here today in search of knowledge…"

" _You wish._ " Braylon thought.

"…and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people…"

" _Yeah, that's what they all say._ "

"…in need for purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It's up to you, to take the first step."

Braylon narrowed his eyes. After Ozpin, the fangirl talked about some place to gather for the night and for some bullshit initiation.

Before he could go away, Braylon heard Red calling him. He turned his head and saw her and the remaining two come near him.

"Hey, it's you! You know, I never really got your name…"

"Braylon."

"Ruby Rose. This is my sister Yang and… you met her."

The blonde waved at him while White just narrowed her eyes.

"How do you two know each other?" Yang looked at Ruby with a smile on her face.

"Well, he helped me stopping those bad guys at Vale."

Yang looked back at him. She came closer and made a full circle around him.

"I approve."

"What?"

"That you two are dating."

"I think you got that backwards." Braylon said but she ignored him.

Ruby blushed and pulled her hoodie over the head.

"We are not dating! I just met him today!"

"Love at first sight, eh? I know the feeling, sister."

Braylon just waved his hand and turned to leave. White had different plans.

"I am still waiting for the apology, you know." White crossed her arms.

"Keep waiting." He responded.

"How dare you…"

Night came quicker than Braylon expected. Most of the students fell asleep. Yang and her sister were talking about something but he didn't care enough to listen. His mind wandered deep into his memories, trying to return them to the owner. Still nothing. Fuck!

He materialized the rubber duck in his hand. It was just like every other rubber duck in the universe. But then why would he have it? Not for taking a shower, that's for sure. In fact, he cannot even remember the last time! Perhaps it is a lucky charm? A weapon of mass destruction? The secret to the universe? Who knows. He dematerialized the rubber duck.

He looked around and saw all those fucking pricks just sleeping like babies. Lucky them. He didn't have that luxury. You know, PTSD and shit. Well, there is PDA to help which had a program that would activate every time the body needed sleep. With it, he could feel like he slept while in reality, he never did. Instead his body would get the surge of energy equivalent to 500 cups of coffe. He could always deactivate it. Yup, PDA 9000 was a blessing indeed.

The White is yelling again. _Son of a bitch._ Alright, fuck it. He needed to act.

He came closer to the bunch.

"Would you shut the fuck up?"

"Oh no, not you again!"

Ruby tried to calm everyone down. Mission failed.

"What is your problem with me, dolt?!"

"Listen princess, my hands are trying so hard right now to NOT attach themselves around your neck and break it like a stick. So if you don't shut up, I am going to make sure that you won't see the sun of tomorrow!" His face was inches away from hers.

Now he had done it. All four looked at him. Being watched by women was uncomfortable. He turned around and walked away. Few curses managed to escape from his mouth.

"What's his problem?" Yang asked.

"I don't know I just- can we please go to sleep?"

"Good idea." The black girl said. Her gaze was set on the guy who returned to his place. Strangely, he looked like he wouldn't sleep any time soon. But she felt something coming from him when he threatened White. It felt… cold.

Everyone said their goodbyes and went to sleep. For the next day would be hell.

* * *

 **AN: Before I go I have some things to say. First, the analysis is non canon (made up) so do not take it seriously. Second, do not be offended by the jokes, I told you that Braylon would be a dick. Third, the next chapter may be a bit longer since it will probably include fighting. And yes, Braylon will be part of RWBY. Karma is a bitch, eh?**


	3. Initiation

The following morning everyone gathered in the locker room to pick up their equipment. Braylon just went to see how it looked like. He had his own inventory on himself. Not that everybody needs to know. He heard the sisters (how in the world is this possible?!) talking about trivial stuff. He then heard Yellow saying something that made him pale.

"But what about if we form teams?"

Say what? Teams? Ozpin never told him that! What a great way to start the day! Just imagine, he, a badass, with a bunch of weaklings. Even worst, what if some midget or something becomes THE LEADER?! The mere thought was enough to give Braylon a mental breakdown. But he was cool. Maybe it was just a joke?

"No, of course I do. I just thought, I don't know, you… break out of your shell."

As soon as Red started yelling, Braylon moved his head away. He noticed White and another girl speaking. The girl looked had something similar to Spartan equipment but more revealing. She was gifted, that's for sure. Braylon chuckled as he thought about her misfortune of being nicknamed Leonid _ass_ by every historian ever.

Wait a fucking minute. Heels? You don't wear heels for initiations! Especially those that include combat! Oh for fuck's sake, even White?! Bonus points for her skirt! The amount of facepalms Braylon executed was quite marvelous. If she was here she would…

Oh, right. _She_. A member of his team back home. Powerful, skilled, sexy. A Siren. Even if Braylon was a leader, she was the one who kept the group in check. If two of them would start fighting, she would stop them. She also had a crush on him… even though she is seven years older than him. How that happened he never understood but she would often try to give him a boner. Most of those times, Braylon found a way to escape her attempts. However, she managed to pull few of those off and it was… quite a sight. Even though he didn't have quite the same feelings for her, she was his friend. Someone that could be trusted. Someone that knows how to fight. Right in the feels…

Braylon shook his head. She was fine and so were the remaining two.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students…"

" _Well, time to show all of them who Braylon really is._ "

* * *

Oh my God, that Ozpin guy would never stop talking, wouldn't he?

" _Come on, Ozzy. Spare me the propaganda crap._ " Braylon sighed.

"Now, I am sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

Braylon was surprised. Today? How?

"This teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to pair with someone –"

"Just get to the fucking point already!" Said Braylon in frustration. Everyone looked at him. How can he speak with that mouth with the headmaster?

Ozpin looked at him. He wasn't surprised or anything. He was just… Ozpin. Then he smiled.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What the fuck? Even I can make a better rule than this one!" Braylon shouted.

"After you partnered up, make your way to the northen end of the forest. You will meet opposition on your way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything on your path… or you will die."

" _Finally, I get to shoot._ "

"You will be monitored and rated for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene."

" _HA!_ _Like I need help of these clowns._ "

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path, containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your…"

" _Fucking start already! God damn!_ "

Ozpin noticed Braylon's eagerness to start. He took a sip from his mug and continued.

"Take your positions."

Everyone took their showy battle stance… except for Braylon who just crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

" _Motherfu-_ "

Braylon couldn't finish that thought because he was catapulted in the air. He did that a few times but he as prepared. This time, he wasn't. Where are the Oz Kits when you need them?!

Braylon, due to his badass abilities, made a roll in the air as his PDA activated the Holo Claw function. With it he stabbed a nearby tree to slow down his fall. It didn't help because the claws tore through the wood like paper. In the end, he fell on the ground with a loud boom, making a crater in the process. He wasn't hurt, but was pissed off.

" _Man, fuck this planet. Even trees are pussies._ "

His first thought was how to kill Ozpin with style when he returned. The second was about his teammates. Hopefully, he would get some pros… hopefully.

Braylon activated the compass on PDA which pointed him the north side. As he walked, he noticed others in the air. Everyone looked either happy or silent. This planet is full of weirdos.

Then it hit him.

"Man, I need to take a piss!" He whispered to himself. He went for the nearby bush and released the kraken in his pants. Few minutes later he noticed growls coming from behind him. He turned around and saw the same creatures he killed before. You know, the fucked up wildlife.

Pulling out his Chimera, he shot at the first victim. The bullet exploded when it came in contact with the head of the thingy. Not only that, it released a burst of acid which started melting the remains of the head. Small amounts of the same acid hit the others but it only burned their skin and flesh.

The victim number deux jumped forward but failed to land a single hit. It soon met Mr. Bullet as it pierced through its back and set it on fire, burning the inner organs into ash as it screamed in pain.

The third dunce started shitting bricks. As it backed away, the bullet tore its left arm off the body with lethal efficiency. The electric finisher put it out of its misery as it made the head go kablooey.

Well that was so anticlimactic. It was a joke. Barely any effort was made and no fucks were given. Oh, here we go.

The reinforcements came. Six lackeys plus one boss. This should be interesting.

Braylon put away his gun since it would be a waste of ammo to use them on those freaks of nature. Instead, he decided to go creative as he materialized his Holo Sabre. It was a good way to start some exercise before getting into the real thing.

( **AN:** At this point I suggest playing some music for better effect. I recommend playing "Survival" OST from the game MadWorld since it helped me making the following scene. Btw, here is a warning. The following is not for those who dislike violence and excessive amounts of death. Viewer discretion advised.)

"All right! Time to kick ass!"

Braylon jumped at the first lackey and delivered a headbutt to the head of the beast. The white mask-like body part cracked as the creature fell on the ground. He quickly got on top and tried to stab the head with his weapon but was stopped by its hands holding his arm. As it did so, the creature screamed and waved with the legs in the air as if having a seizure. After a brief power struggle, Braylon managed to shove the tip of the weapon right through the back of the creature's head. The result was a large wave of blood coming out of the mouth as it choked on its own red fluid before dying.

A friend tried to intervene, only to have its throat grabbed by Braylon and thrown on the ground like a bag of potatoes. The last thing it saw was the human hands grabbing its head. Blackness arrived soon after as the human ripped the head off and shoved it into the stomach of a third beast as a replacement for the intestines. Of course, before doing something like this he needed to slice open the belly and empty it of its previous content. FYI, the bastard was still alive when that happened. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

The fourth had its legs cut off and used as a bat for smashing the body to pieces. The fifth lost the spine (Braylon ripped it off with bare hands) and became a leather sack of organs while the sixth was impaled on one branch of a nearby tree. Now it was time for the boss.

It looked more menacing than the others. It was also bigger. This didn't stop Braylon as he simply kicked the leg, breaking it and making the boss kneel in front of him. Now that it was easier to reach his head, he used the Holo Sabre to slice the head vertically in half, all the way down to the stomach. And he _enjoyed_ every second of it.

He stopped for a moment to look at the corpses. There was enough blood to fill 100 ketchup bottles. The bodies, blood and other remains started evaporating into clouds of black smoke. This surprised Braylon, as now he didn't have to worry about cleaning the mess. How this happened was not a concern for him. Right, the objective!

There was not time to waste. He needed… ugh… to find teammates and reach the temple.

( **AN:** Here ends the violence. You can stop the music now.)

* * *

Glynda tapped on her device. Ozpin watched the whole slaughter. It did make an impact, as his mouth was slightly opened.

"Interesting." Ozpin said. He took yet another sip from the mug.

"It was… unpleasant, sir. How did he do that?"

"It seems like Mr. Braylon has very effective methods of fighting. The brutality is what concerns me."

"Indeed. Even for a hunter, that was too much."

"But what caught my attention is that." He pointed at Braylon's PDA. "I wonder what that is."

"It appears to be a weapon of sort."

"Perhaps." He took another sip. "Who knows what and how many surprises Mr. Braylon has in store for us."

* * *

"I could have taken him."

"So… I guess we are teammates now."

"Yup. Name's Yang."

"Blake."

"So, uh… I guess we should go?"

Both Blake and Yang started walking when they heard gunshots. They decided to find the source. After going through several bushes, they find Braylon who aimed the gun at the throat of a Beowolf and pulled the trigger. It was really loud.

"Come out, you sons of bitches!" He shouted. "I still have plenty of ammo and I was just warming up!"

"Is that…"

"Braylon. Me and my sister met him yesterday."

"By the way!" His gaze fell on the two girls hidden in the bush. "I can see you so come out before I decide to do something I would regret later… probably."

Blake got up with her hands in front of her as to show that she does not mean harm. As he saw her AND Yang… he started cursing.

"God fucking damit! This is fucking perfect! So what? Now my teammates are two good-for-nothing teenage girls?! FUCK!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You already know, blondie. I am royally fucked! FUCK YOU TOO, OZPIN!" He pointed his middle finger at the sky.

Blake and Yang just looked at each other and shrugged.

"Ugh, just… just try not to slow me down, thank you." As he said that, Braylon holstered his revolver and started walking. The two girls caught up with him soon after.

As they walked behind him, they heard he was mumbling constantly. Blake was mostly stoic, while Yang decided to speak up.

"What's your problem with us?! What have we done to you?"

He turned around and leaned closer to Yang.

"Listen, kid. I am stuck here with you two who have questionable combat skill, doing some shitty initiation when I should have… forget it."

"Why you call us kids when we have the same age?"

"Because that's what you are in my eyes. A bunch of kids. And I must be in a team when I could go solo and still be more efficient than any of you combined." He turned around again. In a fit of rage, Braylon materialized his Holo Sabre and cut down a random nearby tree.

"Whatever." Yang shook her head at the thought of just being a teammate with that asshole.

After fifteen minutes, they reached the temple. If you can call it that. It was more like few rocks put together.

"Chess pieces?" Blake asked out loud.

"Hmm… How about a cute little pony?"

"Sure."

"Whatever. Let's just…"

All three noticed a girl shouting in the distance. Someone was in danger! And then another! But this one came… from the sky? Wut?

Oh… Just Ruby who was falling from the sky… and a dude who just hit her out of nowhere… and both fell into a tree… Just roll with it. I seriously don't wanna ask.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?"

"I…"

Few trees fell down. Behind them was a bear-like creature that growled as it fell on the ground. Behind the corpse a girl jumped out like a fucking Mexican jumping bean and a guy who looked like someone who had explosive diarrhea but failed to reach the bathroom in time.

She then ran like a motherfucker towards the temple and picked up a piece. Her brief euphoria came to an end when the guy shouted her name. Nora, huh? She looked like a female version of Torgue, only less muscles and screams. She even had a grenade launcher so she must love explosions like him.

Torgue. That bastard is crazy, I can tell you that. Likes explosives, women and sex. Let's hope he will never become a planetary leader. He would probably order to blow up the ocean or something. Hell, I bet that he will go out with a _bang_. Eh? EH? Okay, I get it. Let's move on with the story.

"Did that girl just ride on the Ursa?"

"I…"

The ground started shaking.

And there it was. A giant scorpion chasing Leonid _ass_. She seemed like she needed help but I guess nobody gives a fuck when a girl in red jumps down from a tree, right?

"Did she just ran all the way here with a Deathstalker chasing her?"

Yang exploded.

"I can't take it anymore! Can anyone chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

" _At this point, I am inclined to believe in everything I see right now._ " Braylon performed a mental facepalm.

Wow… just wow. First Red, now White. Fuck this planet and people who live in it. Is this some kind of a new thing going on in modern youth? To start falling from the sky? I can't even!  
And there is this idiot who decides to be a knight with a hero complex and save his damsel in distress. Are we in a fantasy world or something?

"Great. The band is here. Now we can all die together."

"Not if I can help it."

"You ain't gonna do shit, Red. Now move." Braylon moved Ruby with his hand. Everyone had their eyes stolen by him.

He materialized the Nukem in his hands, took aim and pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

After dust settled, one could see a large crater and the Deathstalker nowhere in sight. Suddenly, it started raining. Not water, but blood. With a smile on his face, he dematerialized his weapon and turned around. Jaws were hanging.

"What? You never saw somebody taking down a giant scorpion with a rocket launcher?"

Ruby was extremely hyperactive and bombarded Braylon with questions, White tried to process what she just saw, Black was quite impressed and Yellow looked like she would need to consume huge amounts of alcohol just to start thinking again. The other four had more or less the same results.

"So…shall we go?" Braylon said with a smile on his face.

As he said this, a huge black bird made its presence known to the group as it flew over their heads. It was the biggest bird (no, Rakk is not a bird) he had ever seen. Everyone immediately started running towards the ruins to take cover. Braylon decided to take a peek from one of the pillars and almost had his head impaled by one of the gigantic feathers. If it wasn't for Yang he would have lost his head. Just imagine what a shitty death that is. Takes out hordes upon hordes of everything that is thrown at him… dies by a giant feather.

"Thanks." Braylon sighed.

"What about being a kid with questionable combat skill?"

"Save it for later, we have bigger problems now."

Yang and Blake were amazed at his calm and collected demeanor. Just a few seconds ago he could say goodbye to his life an now he is acting all professional. He shook his head.

" _Man, first a giant Scaylion and now a bird on steroids. What's next? An RKV out of nowhere?_ "

He could not allow those kids to get hurt. Time to get serious. He jumped out from the cover and went on the open field.

"Where are you going?! Are you crazy?!" Yang shouted to deaf ears. Other looked at him with worry.

The bird saw the easy prey and started flying. As soon as it was trying to throw other feathers…

PEW!

SPLAT!

The bird just popped in a cocktail of minced meat and blood. But it wasn't the laser beam (that was not his) that worried him. It was the fact that he could hear a large engine in the distance.

" _Fuck. I wasn't being serious._ "

He turned around and started shouting to the group.

"Everyone! Grab the pieces and start running towards Ozzy!"

"W-why?"

"Now, Ruby! GO!"

The seriousness in tone made the conversation stop before it began. Everyone started running away. Ruby stopped for a moment and looked at Braylon before reaching the group.

Before I continue, let me say this. Braylon IS NOT a hero. Nope. But why then he made them go? So that he could concentrate on the fight that is about to happen. He could care less about someone getting hurt but the thing is that most of the times in the past he was blamed for someone's stupidity. He could not allow that to happen again.

The engine was closer and closer… closer and closer…

And there it was. Flying where the cliff is. He could not see the pilot but he knew that the bastard had a wide grin on his face.

"It took you a lot of time to find me!"

"WELL, WELL. IF IT ISN'T THE BASTARD HIMSELF. THE WANTED VAULT HUNTER. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR THE WHOLE LIST OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY THAT YOU COMMITED, SCUM! ANY RESISTANCE WILL BE MET WITH SEVERE PENALTIES."

"Bite me! Besides, I have no plans on leaving this planet!"

"VERY WELL. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED."

( **AN:** You know it! The same music from The Pre-Sequel Rk5 fight!)

The laser turrets pointed at Braylon and fired small bursts of blue lasers. Braylon dodge-rolled and reached a nearby pillar.

Raum-Kampfjet Mark V. Combat jet designed for both planetary and space warfare. A real piece of machinery with turrets, rocket launchers and mini-nukes. Conventional bullets won't do shit. The thing was designed to be able to collide with an asteroid and still be in one piece. Nukem and grenades were out of the question. He had few of those left. He could use Explosive rounds of Chimera and Omni-cannon but nothing beats the old Corrosive rounds. Bonus points if those were laser Corrosive rounds. Too bad he didn't have such weapons in his small arsenal. Well, time to go creative.

"TASTE THE ROCKETS, SUCKER!"

RKV fired four rockets at the cover. Two managed to hit the pillar and destroy it but failed to hit Braylon who jumped away. The remaining two hit the ground near him, causing an explosion that threw him a few meters back. His shield saved him from injuries but it was quickly depleted due to the charge being small. One disadvantage of using the Bee.

He needed to find another cover. The last thing he needed was a wound caused by a laser beam. See, a normal bullet will give a normal wound and it would hurt like a bitch. A Shock laser does not fry your flesh (like an Incendiary) but instead it hits you with enough electricity to stop your heart for a few seconds and give you massive headache which could potentially fry your nerves or make you lose one of your five senses either permanently or temporarily. More former than the latter. So yeah, shocking, burning, freezing, melting, exploding or infecting someone is a war crime.

"DIE! DIE! DIE!"

"Shit!" Braylon started running to avoid getting hit. He reached a bridge made of stone. The sight of the abyss below made him more concentrated than before. One wrong step and it is game over.

"ROCKET BARRAGE!"

The guy is smart. Too smart.

By spamming large amount of rockets, RKV damaged the bridge enough to force the target to seek shelter in the giant tower few meters away.

The fight was exhausting. Braylon didn't even have few seconds to catch some breath and wipe the sweat from the forehead. What was frustrating was the fact that he couldn't even hit the bastard. He narrowed his eyes when he saw what RKV did next. It started flying at high speeds. An obvious maneuver to launch a mini-nuke. Being close to the explosion is a no-no.

"HERE IS SOME FREEDOM FOR YA!"

There was the second bridge on which he could jump but it would be destroyed with the tower. He had a stupid idea but it could work.

With the Holo Sabre he climbed to the top of the tower and waited for the vehicle, making sure that he wouldn't be seen by the pilot. When it came close enough, he attached himself with the Sabre on one of the rocket launchers by stabbing through the thing and making it unusable. Both flew away from the giant explosion that completely wrecked the ancient ruins enough to give any archaeologist a heart attack.

"SON OF A BITCH! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

Ignoring the pilot's ranting, Braylon materialized his Excalibastard. The vehicle had troubles with movements. Something must have seriously been damaged beyond repair. He took aim and fired a shot right at one of the engines, freezing it in a block of ice. This caused a loss in speed and balance in the jet. Perfect for dealing a fatal blow.

Replacing the Excalibastard with Omni-cannon, Braylon fired a shot right into the vehicle. The Explosive round combined with the power of the Bee made a hole in the hardened hull, exposing few large, silver tubes. He fired again and from the tubes a thick, black fluid started oozing out. Sadly, some of that shit fell right on the damaged rocket launcher, making it a slippery pile of scrap metal.

"Son of a bitch…"

Braylon muttered as he realized that the Sabre was not holding on anymore. In a few minutes he would fell on the ground.

"SHIT! RETREAT! RETREAT!"

"Oh no, you won't!" He quickly materialized the Tresspasser and fired a shot at the pilot's cabin. The bullet ripped through the vehicle and went straight into the anus of the pilot but it didn't stop there. It continued its journey through the spine and straight into the brain. The corpse fell on the commands, pushing few buttons in the process.

The vehicle, as it started burning, took a turn for the right. Suddenly, it shot itself like a bullet. The engines became so hot that the ice melted instantly but also caused them to overheat. The whole thing started _melting_.

( **AN:** Here the battle ends.)

Braylon couldn't see the RKV but he could hear a loud explosion in the distance, indicating it met its end. Man, judging by the whole scene, I bet the bastard was _fired_ from life… sorry, can't help it.

Oh right. The fall. SHIT!

Praying that the shield would absorb most of the damage, Braylon fell right into the forest.

BOOM!

"Ouch… that hurt…"

It was over. Braylon sighed in relief. Although he felt flattered. I can only dream of that feeling. Being so dangerous and unstoppable that people need to send a fucking _space combat jet_ to stop you. What about pain, you ask? He suffered worse. A few hours of sleep and large amounts of food will heal all the wounds.

"Mission accomplished. Time to head home I guess." Braylon thought out loud as he took a route towards the academy. He never imagined that he would be watched by everyone in the academy.

* * *

"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you will work together as… Team Cardinal. Led by Cardin Winchester."

Everyone clapped except for Braylon who was more annoyed with this formal crap than anything else.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as… Team Juniper. Led by Jaune Arc."

Poor guy. He looked so confused when Ozzy said his name.

"Finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long AND…"

And what? Why everyone fell quiet all of a sudden?

"… Braylon."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Come here please."

Dead silence.

"Oh no, no way!"

"The five of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as… Team Ruby. Led by Ruby Rose."

"SAY WHAT?! No fucking way, man!"

"And why is that?"

"I am nobody's bitch! Just look at the four losers there. I mean, the whole team is silly!"

Braylon pointed the finger at Blake.

"You have the black girl who is the quietest of the bunch, probably a psycho or a big pervert."

He went on, totally ignoring the blush on Blake's cheeks.

"A yellow attention whore, who never had a class of anger management in her life."

Yang was pissed off. If they were alone she would punch him.

"We have Snow White: Daddy's Girl edition over here. No dwarves? No problem! But hey, better seven times with Snow White than once with the seven dwarves, am I right?"

Weiss was confused. What was he talking about?

"And finally, a midget assassin with a fetish for red things. I feel sorry for the guy who will be her boyfriend. And I am supposed to be a member of a ragtag bunch of misfits?"

Ozpin gave a small smile as if to say "Karma hit you in the face".

"…Yes."

"… SON OF A BI-"

* * *

 **AN: Hello pimps, playas and pain purveyors! How** ' **s everybody doing out there? I don** ' **t give a fuck.**

 **You all know who I am. That** ' **s right! The one who tells you the story about the guy who is an expert in all forms of kicking that ass. But what** ' **s** **this? An extra long chapter? Fuck yea! There will probably be more in the future but I cannot guarantee anything at the moment. Now listen here, I hope you enjoyed the fighting scenes with the addition of epic music. Expect more in the future. But seriously, a big thanks to you pimps and playas for reading my story!**

 **Be sure to spam the fuck out of that like/follow button and get ready for the next chapter which will have a BUTT-LOAD OF WHATEVER GETS YOU THERE! DRAMA! COMEDY! BADASS FIGHTS! RUBBER DUCKS! DREAM SEQUENCES! SECRET TALK SEQUENCES! GOD OF WAR! ROMANCE! INTERNET MEMES!**

 **Until next time, WOO!**


	4. Cruelty

"Ozzy, I have to tell you…" Braylon said as he was sitting on a swivel chair (courtesy of Ozpin). He put his feet on the headmaster's table and crossed his arms. He was unaware of Goodwitch's  
deadly glare. Ozpin was mostly stoic, as usual. "…you do have a nice room in here. Too much steampunk though."

Ozpin, however, ignored the comment as he saw the four girls standing a few meters behind Braylon. To give an impression of a professional badass, he crossed his hands as a business man would.

"We need to talk about… you."

"You know, Ozzy, your methods of picking teams is quite a weird one. I mean, just look."

He points at the four girls behind him with his thumb.

"Is there some kind of theme you are trying to build? I mean, it seems like you divide students in teams by colors, race and age. A real triumph of Apartheid, I dare say."

Braylon turns around to the girls.

"Now that I mention it, you two said you are sisters, right? How the fuck are you two sisters? You don't have anything in common! I am sure that by now, Mendel is breakdancing in his grave even after so many years."

Ozpin coughed. Meaning that Braylon had to turn towards him again.

"I… or better, _we_ , saw what you did with that…"

"Raum-Kampfjet Mark V?"

"…Yes… Perhaps you could enlighten us on the situation we have now."

Braylon chuckled. "We don't have any situation going on, Ozzy. I don't know where that came from nor do I care."

"You are not hiding anything from us, right?" Ruby asked.

"Nobody asked you anything, Red. So shut up."

"Hey, watch it or-"

"Or what, blondie? Believe me, I would put a bullet through that pretty face of yours before you even manage to blink so **don't be a pain in the ass**."

Again, Blake had that same feeling from before when he spoke those words. It was frightening. Is it possible that only she could feel _that_?

"As for you, Ozzy. Listen up. This is your school. Whatever you say it is, is how it is but…"

He slammed his fist on the table. Everyone in the room (except Ozpin, of fucking course) took this as a sign of threat and prepared their weapons… just in case.

"… I don't have to tell you _shit_. And neither you or this sadomasochist of a teacher or anyone else, will make me speak. You might be the game, but I ain't playing it."

And with that, Braylon got up and went straight for the elevator. Before he disappeared behind the doors, he pointed his middle fingers to everyone else in the room.

"Okay…" Ruby broke the awkward silence. "So… why are we here?"

"The four of you must keep an eye on your… rather peculiar teammate. His total disrespect for any authority and completely unacceptable behavior-"

"Enough, Glynda… Normally, at Beacon we keep the rule of making a team with four students. No more, no less. However, due to our rather unique case you have a fifth member which is Mr. Braylon. I am sure that by know all of you know the meaning behind teams which is, to help each other and work as better as possible not as an individual but as a whole group. This means that you will have to solve all your problems by yourselves but also build strong relationships. Now, as a team of five members, you will have a special room for you to use, bigger and better equipped. So go now and be sure to take some rest because the class will start soon. Dismissed."

After the four girls left, Ozpin and Glynda were alone in the giant room.

"Ugh, that boy will give me a headache and we didn't even started the semester."

"Be patient, everything has its own time and place. However, Mr. Braylon… there is something strange going on with him. When I looked him in the eyes I saw the gaze of someone who has nothing to lose. Someone who went through many difficult situations in his life. I don't know anything about his past but… I guess we will have to dig a little deeper."

* * *

"Finally. About time you four showed up."

"Sorry, we just… the headmaster needed us." Ruby said apologetically.

"Whatever. Let's just find our room."

Some time later, the group found the room. It was larger than a "normal" room for "normal" teams. It also had five lockers for the equipment, a larger bathroom and – HOLY SHIT! A BED! A REAL BED! HAS SCIENCE GONE TOO FAR?!

Unlike the girls, Braylon jumped on one of the beds and laughed like a maniac. For him, Christmas came earlier. It was so comfy and… warm. What woke him up from his euphoria was the sound of hands slapping their respective faces.

"…Wait a second…" Braylon quickly got up and rushed to the bathroom only to return few minutes later with a terrified look on his face.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Holy shit, do you know how weird it is to NOT find ammo in the toilet? I think I might pass out."

"You are unbelievable! How much savage can you get?!" Great. The Nazi started her rant.

"Weiss! Remember what Ozpin said?"

Dick mode activated.

"Alright, alright. Calm down. Just tell me how I feel." Braylon started mocking Weiss. Too bad she fell right into his trap.

"You feel sad because you can't have any woman to fall for you so you try to act all cocky to get our attention. You barbaric caveman!"

"By god! That's it! That's exactly how I feel! You know, I might have thought that it could be the fact that you four are useless in a fight or that I have a hyperactive teenage girl for a leader but now that I do know the real reason I feel more happy now! I am, in fact, some kind of woman-chaser! Thanks Hitler!"

Once again, Braylon made a Hitler salute but this time, his PDA played the Nazi anthem for a few seconds. Even if Weiss didn't understand the reference, it was now clear to her that he was mocking her so she stormed out of the room in frustration with Ruby trying to chase her down.

"Why you always must act like an asshole?"

"She started first, blondie. Not my problem if she has issues with others around her. Fucking… did you see even once her face? It is clear that she always has visions of herself speaking to a gargantuan rally of slave workers to incite them to work their ass off even more than before so that she could get even more rich than she is now."

"She can be a brat sometimes, but could you at least try being nice? We are not your enemies, you know."

"Fuck you! You are a bunch of assassins that just wait to murder me while I am sleeping, for all I know! By the way, don't you girls have some stuff to do? Like, decorating and shit?"

"We are not going to hurt you, if that is what are you afraid of."

"Yea, that's what they all say."

"Whatever. I give up. Come on, Blake. Let's start."

Braylon ignored the activities of his teammates. While they filled the room with trivial stuff, he was more going for practical things. The first thing he did was waiting for the girls to turn their backs on him so he could materialize a workbench. He then proceeded to materialize an ammo box (which contained gunpowder and bullet casings), few books on weapons and ammunition, a toolbox, two glass jars (one having a moonstone and one a piece of unrefined Eridium shard) and a Bonsai tree. Everything placed on or near the workbench.

Just in time. Ruby and Weiss returned. It seems that Ruby managed to calm Weiss. Damn, she deserves a cookie. Good thing for Braylon because everyone ignored him which was more than a blessing.

Ruby sense is tingling. Time to bombard the shit out of Braylon.

Fortunately, Yang was there to restrain her psycho sister. Braylon had to restrain himself because if not, he would bitch slap Ruby with the power of a thousand atomic bombs. That girl will meet her death very soon if she continues to ask so many questions.

Ruby shifted her gaze to something else. Not good.

"Whoa…" Ruby came closer to the jar with the glowing shard. She tried to touch it with her tiny hand but it was quickly grabbed by Braylon. The grip was _too_ strong. It hurt.

"Hey! Hands off my sister!"

Ruby yelped once again before her hand was set free. A few seconds more and the bones would have been broken. She looked at Braylon and her heart sank. Something was off.

"None of you will touch that jar. Ever. If you do, you will pay with your life. Am I clear?"

"What's wrong with you? She just wanted to -"

Yang's rant was cut by Braylon's hand around her neck. It happened so quickly that no one in the room expected such reaction. The hand moved Yang closer to Braylon until they were inches away from each other. She could barely breathe and any attempt to remove the hand was futile. Finally, she saw his gaze. His evil, vile, terrible gaze. It was empty of life… just two irises looking deep in her soul. He spoke with an eerie tone.

" **Am I clear?** "

"Y…yes…"

"Let her go!"

With tremendous force, Braylon tossed Yang at the other side of the room. He turned around. Ruby, as stupid as she was, decided to play the hero part.

"What is so special about that… thing?"

"Answer me! I am your leader!"

"You are nobody's leader. Can't you see what this group is made of? What this so called hunters are made of? It is clear that you people have problems with those things and yet none of you, old or young, care enough to find the root and eradicate it."

He turned around.

"You hunters are a joke. Your weapons, your combat abilities, your training, everything. None of you would survive even a day should a war ever happen."

"Why are you saying such things?"

"Because I have a reason to. Take a look at your weapons, for example. Only fluff and nothing else. What good is a rifle that can turn into a scythe if it does not do what it was meant to do? Or a blade with elemental powers if the wielder uses it like a toy instead of an actual weapon?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"That you hunters are nothing. You are trained to deal with the monsters and yet you suck at it with almost surgical precision. Every piece of your equipment is inefficient. Practicality is thrown in the garbage in exchange for pointless displays of power and design. Even with your magical bullshit, you cannot win a fight that lasts more than fifteen minutes. You want to see a real weapon? Here."

Braylon materialized his Fusillade.

"Catch." He threw his weapon to Ruby. She tried to hold it but it was too heavy and threw her on the floor. Braylon came closer and picked up the gun.

"Heavy, isn't it? That's because this gun was made to be used for its original purpose. It is not stylish, it is not flashy. It is PRACTICAL. Just like every weapon should be."

He dematerialized the gun. At this point, he didn't give a fuck about it. Even if he tried to explain the process, it would be pointless.

"And you know what the worst thing is? That our team leader is a brat. A child who is so inexperienced that it will lead this team to its death. You don't know shit about battlefields, you have no sense of decision-making while in combat. Even your strategies suck. How do you expect your teammates to trust you if you as a leader are a pathetic weakling?"

Fatality. Ruby couldn't take it anymore. She started crying. This turned Braylon to his cheerful self.

"Welp…" He said with a grin on his face. "Time to go to class."

And with that, he went out of the room. The rest of the team tried to calm their leader. It was a truly sad scene.

* * *

Time for a story.

You see, on Pandora there is no such thing as "school", meaning that if you want to be a literate piece of shit, you need to have somebody close to you (read: not a psychotic dick) that already knows the deed. That or, well, do it yourself. The reason for this is the fact that, aside burning orphanages, every settlement that has normal people (LOL) is under constant attack from bandits. In short, bandits make things on Pandora harder than one of those games back from 80s and 90s.

Now, Braylon did… a lot of shit. Some of his achievements are not something to be proud of but still, he is a good guy (citation needed). Now, what am I trying to say is, remember even once in your life when you say "at this point nothing even surprises me"? And then something comes that proves you wrong? This happened to Braylon.

In a prestigious academy such as Beacon you would expect some kind of professionalism and seriousness. But tell me, how the fuck can I take a teacher seriously when there is a blunderbuss from 1850s attached to a wall and the teacher itself has a large moustache (which is probably fake as fuck) that covers one third of his face? How can he speak so clearly without that disgusting fern on his face going inside his mouth?

Even Braylon understands me. Just look at him. Zero fucks given, completely chill and with a total disrespect. In other words, just what we needed in this story.

Don't worry about the conversation. The idiot is making a speech on those monsters and how they are a "prey" only to end in one of his stories on how awesome he is. The guy has a golden bust of himself in the classroom. Talking about having an ego the size of a god damn blimp.

The girls were angry at Braylon. They demanded an apology and he just gave them a middle finger. Why would Ozpin put him in their team was way beyond their comprehension.

"…Now, as I was saying… Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms…"

" _Is this guy for real? These morons have kingdoms? Do we now start speaking in Latin?_ "

"…Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than tear you to pieces…"

" _You have never been on Pandora, friend._ "

Wait, did he just hit on Yang? Better placing that finger on the trigger.

"…Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves…"

" _People here sure are altruistic. Guns and altruists do not go together._ "

"…That is what you are training to become. But first, a story."

" _Another one? Fuck this I have more important stuff to do._ "

Braylon now ignored everyone around him and started toying with his PDA to find something interesting.

Bingo.

A corrupted file. Something that shouldn't be possible for such a device. Something big must have happened when he had a corrupted file. This problem must be solved… possibly away from curious eyes.

"I do, sir!"

Why is Weiss talking all of a sudden? What is going on?

"Well then, let's find out. Step forward and face your opponent."

"This is going to be funny." Braylon chuckled.

"Go Weiss!"

"Fight well!"

"Yea! Represent team RWBY!"

The last one made impact.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"

"Don't fall on your ass, princess!"

"Shut up Braylon!"

"Alright! Let the match… begin!"

Christ, that's it? A mutant boar? This should not be a problem, right? Then why the fuck Weiss is taking so long?! God, this is embarrassing. Now her sword is stuck. This fucking noob!

"Is that all you got?" Braylon taunted.

Deciding to ignore him, Weiss focused on the thing that tried to kill her.

Whoa. That boar can roll into a ball? It reminded Braylon of Spiderants and it gave him a mild nostalgia… nah.

Finally, she killed that stupid thing. Braylon made a sarcastic clap.

"Wow. Such skill. Very good."

"Why don't you go and fight then?!"

"Can I, professor? I would like to show my team what fighting is all about!"

"Really? Well why don't you show us, Mr. Braylon? I believe we have time for another fight. Consider it… an extra-credit job."

"I want five of those thingies, professor! I can take them all out!"

Other students started whispering. Even professor was bewildered by the statement.

"What do you think you are doing?" Yang asked.

"I am pissed off. So I want to blow some steam out of my body."

Braylon got in front and just stood still.

"I don't even need my guns to take them out!" Braylon laughed.

"Don't get cocky Mr. Braylon. Alright, begin!" And with that, the old professor opened five cages.

Unbeknownst to others, Braylon's inner killer machine was activated and bloodthirsty.

* * *

( **AN:** I recommend playing the OST from MadWorld called "Ain't that funny")

The first boar charged at Braylon, only to be grabbed by its tusks with Braylon's bare hands, preventing any further movement. With a heavy hit from his foot, Braylon smashed the head with ease like an egg. Pieces of skull and brain were splattered on the floor as a large pool of blood quickly enveloped the corpse.

The second tried to bite him. Braylon just delivered an uppercut which made the head fall on the other side. He used this moment to grab one of the tiny legs and holding the creature up in the air. He materialized his Holo Sabre and sliced the stomach open, letting the organs fall on the floor. He was sure that he heard someone in the crowd gurgling.

The third was smart. It decided to become a hurl into a ball and go cannonball by launching itself at Braylon. Now that I think of it, it wasn't really smart because Braylon just waited for the creature to come closer. He then made a vertical slash with his Sabre, slicing the boar in two equal parts while it was in midair.

The fourth became a BFF with Braylon's thumbs as they pierced two of the eyes. It soon became BFF with Holo Claw as it pierced through the abdomen and attached itself to the bones. This allowed Braylon to pick it up and smash it on the floor several times before the bones broke and the whole body became a pile of gore.

The last suffered the most brutal death. One of its tusks was cut off and was forced into the mouth of the creature. Braylon wanted the boar to _eat its own body part_. The poor thing choked to death. It took several minutes.

( **AN:** Here ends the ass-kicking scene.)

"So what do you think, professor?" Braylon smiled. It wasn't one of those innocent smiles.

While it was true that the battle was impressive (since he never used any of his firearms, only his Sabre and Claw), the good old professor caught something interesting. The brutality of the act was something no huntsman/huntress could do with _bare hands_. It was clear that no human should have mercy towards those monstrosities but this was on a whole new level. It was almost like the rampage of a beast. God only knows what would happen if those were humans. And the kid never used his semblance and/or aura!

"Interesting demonstration Mr. Braylon. Yes, interesting indeed…"

Before the old man dismissed the class, Braylon glanced at his teammates. He didn't know what happened but he could see fear in their eyes as they looked at him. Something must have really scared them.

* * *

 **AN: Hello pimps and playas! It is me, that crazy scientist who tells stories instead of making WMDs! But who gives a fuck about WMDs when you can be entertaining, right? Today I am going to answer one question: Yes. Our amazing Vault Hunter will be present even in the volume 4 of RWBY (he will still be part of the team). Oh, you want to know how and why? FUCK YOU! Read the story and find out for yourself. And yes, Braylon will make that body count rise even more in the future chapters (and I am not talking about Grimm). Another thing, this is a two part chapter (they will have different names) so here is the first part. The second will be a fight to remember. Will Braylon act friendly or will he have no mercy towards his opponent in the arena? Who knows!**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading my story, you badass sunuvabitch! TOODLES!**


	5. Beat down

Braylon stormed out of the class, leaving behind his four teammates.

"Hey, wait for us!" The leader squeaked as soon as she and her friends caught up. Braylon just walked forward like nothing even happened.

"Hey, I said wait up!" She was ignored again.

"What was that back there? How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Well…that. I never saw something like this before. Nobody saw something like this before."

"Yea, all those gross… thingies." Yang jumped into the conversation.

"Barbaric and totally uncalled for!" White dropped her two unwanted cents.

"It was effective." Blake earned a stare from the three. "What?"

Braylon was silent. He didn't respond.

"You are not even listening, are you?" Yang asked. She received the reply.

"Will you at least apologize to my sister? She deserves it after what you told her."

"Apologizing for telling the truth?"

"Why, you…!"

"Yang, don't!"

"But Ruby! He…"

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a girl yelling at someone down the hallway.

Would you look at that. Bullies. Now that is something very rare on Pandora. Mostly because it went in two possible ways. First, the victim would pull out a gun and make the head of the bully explode like a popcorn. Second, the bully would probably do something _much_ worse than whatever this nobody is doing.

Oh, right. He is just… pulling… are those bunny ears?

Wait a fucking minute. Okay. Take a deep breath and start with a good explanation. Those must be some kind of fashion type of shit, right? I mean, if Yang looks like someone who is about to do a strip tease then I guess this is also fine, yes? But then why would she scream when that guy pulled those ears? This means that… No. Please don't say it.

Motherfucker! Those are real! That chick has 100% legit bunny ears!

See, this is why you DO NOT let Japan to come in contact with the rest of humanity. Some of that weird shit somehow manages to infect a small percentage of the population and this is the result. Some people take all those things _way_ too seriously. Case in point: this girl. How those ears even work? Like UAVs or something? Wait, I call it now. In team RWBBY there is going to be one member with cat-fucking-ears. I fucking call it now. Just wait.

You think this can't get any worse? Well, you are fucking wrong. Instead of being a smart guy, the leader of bullies stopped pulling the bunny ears and turned his head towards Braylon after one of his henchmen warned him.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here! If it isn't the team LOSERS!" His lackeys laughed.

The moron pointed his finger at Braylon.

"And you…" They got closer while trying to sound cool at the same time. Thus proving this guy is all bark and no bite.

"…Who the fuck do you think you are? Trying to impress everyone with your shitty combat skills?"

People started gathering. Not good. Keep it together Braylon. Enough killing for a day. You are still unstable.

The guy came face to face with Braylon.

"You think you are though?"

Well, shit. Sorry pal, nice knowing ya.

"Let me pass and I will let you live." Braylon coldly responded. The idiot started laughing and turned his face towards his companions who started laughing too.

"Oh, I am so scared! Please help!" The guy ridiculed, took a few steps back.

"Cardin, what are you doing?" Yang crossed her arms and smiled. "You know that our team kicks ass, right? You don't stand a chance against us."

"Yang, no!"

"Stay out of this, you four. This worm will get what he deserves. A fist to the face."

"No way, man! I am always in for a fight!"

"I will not repeat myself. Stand back." Braylon turned his face towards the bullies.

"You think you are hot shit, but can you prove it?"

"Huh?"

"Just your bad luck to run into me."

"Is that so? Well then." The leader moved his hands in the air for dramatic effect.

The crowd became big. So much so that even older kids gathered around. Oh, there is also Goodwitch and the moustache guy. But decided to enjoy rather than intervene.

"Team CRDL! Let's beat this arrogant motherfucker!"

Braylon smiled at his team which is now part of the crowd. With his eyes empty of any mercy he returned his gaze to this team CRDL.

"So are you ready for me? Then step the fuck up! It's time to die!"

( **AN:** Musical choice – Yakuza OST: Block Head Boy. Enjoy!)

The leader got the privilege to attack. His right fist missed Braylon who just backed away. Time to hit. And to hit hard.

Braylon delivered three punches to the leader's chest and stomach which made him bend 90 degrees. He finished the leader off with an uppercut so powerful that a loud and sickening crack could be heard as soon as the fist touched the skull. The guy was suddenly tossed into the air and landed with his back on the cold, hard floor. His legs were positioned in the air as if to make it look like the guy was about to do a roll backwards, only to fall on the ground as their owner did. Probably a broken neck, nose or jaw. Maybe all three.

Russel hit with his right leg but it was blocked and grabbed by Braylon just inches from him. You are not going to like this but Braylon slammed his fist down on the knee of the attacker. Needless to say, the leg ended up making a disturbing V shape as he screamed with all his might. Braylon then proceeded to grab the guy by the back of his head and slam it right into the nearby wall. As his face slid down the wall, making small cuts in the process, Braylon hit Russel with his knee right into the back of his head.

CRACK!

Russel fell on the floor unconscious. The pain was too much but just for good measure, Braylon ended him with a face-meets-foot stomp.

"You son of a bitch!" Sky Lark shouted as he was about to uppercut Braylon. It would have worked if the dumb fuck did't make his presence known. He is about to learn this the hard way.

Braylon countered the uppercut with his elbow right on the fingers, breaking them instantly. Sky Lark cried in pain but soon he would know the real pain because Braylon hit his skull on both left and right side with his fists simultaneously then bombarded him with dozens of weak punches while he was stunned and finished with a face-meets-knee technique.

"Ugh…y-you…s…son…"

The rant was abruptly cut when Braylon dropped the guy on the floor with a powerful leg kick. And now, the last of the bully bunch. He just stood there with his pants wet and pale face. Braylon ran towards him than jumped like his life depended on it, only to grab his face in midair and headbutted the bastard, tossing him a few meters back.

( **AN:** Here ends the violence.)

It was fun. Too bad the fun ended so quickly. Braylon wanted more. _Much_ more.

With that sick, psychotic grin, he approached the headbutted guy. If the crowd was terrified during the fight, now they were shitting bricks.

Braylon stomped the guy on his stomach once. Then twice. Blood came from the mouth. Then thrice.

Imagine if suddenly a heavy fucking anvil just dropped on your belly. More than once. You feel the pain? Well, this unlucky fellow is feeling it all. Probably worse.

"P…please…no…" He begged.

"Beg!"

THUMP!

"Do it harder! I said HARDER!"

"Please! Stop!"

He would have killed this fellow but the girls and team JNPR just had to restrain him. Well, Jaune is not among them. He rather stayed where he was.

"Let me go or I will hurt you too!"

"Are you crazy?! I know Cardin and his friends are awful but this is too much!" Yang shouted while holding him by his abdomen.

"Do you have any idea of what are you trying to do?!" White held Braylon by his head.

Despite having seven people on him, he was still a pain to contain. Fear for history to repeat twice, Goodwitch had to intervene. She marched forward with her gaze that would make even Darth Vader white from fear… but NOT Braylon… cuz he is a badass.

"Students!" She said. "What is this mess?!"

"Not my fault if that dickhead wanted a fight!"

Braylon was right. I mean, you do not just challenge someone who slaughtered five fucking monsters with his bare fucking heads. You end in hospital for that. Unfortunately, his bad side was awakened and he was so close to seal the deal but hey! It could have been worse. I guess.

"Mr. Braylon!"

You know, there is a saying: a woman is heaven for eyes, hell for soul and purgatory for the pockets. Goodwitch is about to prove that.

"For your actions you will follow me to the headmaster's office. Everyone else, you know what to do!"

While no one dared to say anything to her, Braylon decided to become the last samurai of the situation and stand against the blonde threat.

"I don't have to follow you anywhere. I know where Ozzy is, thank you very much"

Now calm, Braylon walked down the hallway with his PDA playing "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford as loud as possible. All of this while everyone else just stared at him. Glynda scoffed and started walking.

* * *

"I believe we have much to share, Mr. Braylon."

"Oh, I didn't know we were married!"

"I see your sense of humor is still present. Even after that little incident."

"No! It was not an incident! Cardin got what he wanted, right? So, that was not an incident. Besides…"

Braylon grabs the mug and drinks all the coffe. Thus leaving Ozpin empty handed.

"…I had to deal with a lot of shitheads back on Pandora and…"

…FUCK!

"…Pandora?"

"This conversation is over. See you around." Braylon stormed out of the office as fast as he could.

"Mr. Braylon!" Goodwitch shouted. She was clearly amazed by this assholish behavior. In all of her career no one dared to do something like that.

Ozpin narrowed his eyes. The slip was a sign that he is hiding something. Something that he wants to keep away from others. But what could it be? And what is this Pandora he was talking about?

* * *

Braylon let out a sigh. The elevator closed its doors.

What was he thinking?! He almost let out his secret. Do you have any idea of how difficult it is to do anything on another planet when you say that you are born and/or live on Pandora?  
All hell breaks loose. Not to mention the paperwork, the procedures and the… the… why it suddenly became _hotter_? And the smell… ugh…

Wait, did you hear that? Whispers. Faint, unintelligible, whispers. Some angry, some depressed. God, it hurts!

A psychotic episode.

"Go away!" Braylon shouted while clenching his ears. His back hit the iron wall as he slowly slid down. "Who are you?! Show yourself?!"

Guttural noises, whispers became quieter.

 _"Urgh…_ _ **I AM YOU**_ _… I am not one of those pathetic hallucinations. I exist deep within your souuuuuul… I am your darkest thoughts, your fears…whatever you want me to be. I know you want blood. You seek destruction._ _ **LET ME OUT.**_ _Go. Release the beast whitin."_

No. This is not a psychotic episode. This… comes from an _outside source_.

"Fuck you! Leave me alone!"

 _"Arghgurgl… you seek freedom… but you are a prisoner. You want blood, without paying the price…"_

The pain. It is stronger than ever. The whole elevator became hot like an oven.

 _"…_ _ **PRISONER!**_ _"_

SCREE! THUMP!

Shit! The elevator! It is falling down!

 _"Return to your cage! To your suffering!"_

Mind games. Someone… or better, _something_ , is playing with his brain as if it is a toy. This is happening for real! But at the same time, it is a hallucination? A reality of its own?! What is going on?! HELP!

 _"_ _ **YOU WILL NEVER BE FREE!**_ _"_

Braylon screamed as his eyes closed. He couldn't take it anymore. Please, make it stop!

Please…

DING!

"Wha…"

Nothing. Everything returned to normal. No smell, no ovens, no whispers. Nothing.

What the _hell_?

Braylon gulped. This…was something else. He had psychotic episodes in the past but this… wasn't one of them. This was… I dunno. Whatever it was, it wanted Braylon to go killer mode. It would not go well. Especially because he was this close to kill all of CRDL. And he is already unstable now. What would happen then?

Braylon jumped out of the elevator and instead of going towards the next class, he went straight for the room. At this point, Braylon was sweating bullets as his mind tried to find an explanation for what happened back there. But he couldn't help himself about one thing: that feeling… he already felt that somewhere. But where?!

For the first time in years, Braylon felt like he would really need to sleep. Not PDA sleep. But _real_ sleep.

* * *

 **AN: Hello to all pimps and playas out there! Now you may be wonderin' what the hell was this last part? Did I got drunk or something? HELL NO.**

 **Remember what I said about the Vault? And how it did not end well? Ohoho, you are gettin' it now, eh? Here I will drop a few hints for yah. Just to make you happy.**

 **Numba one, the Vault in question is… something between a window and a door. The problem is, that now it is doing its job up to eleven. Which is not good. For the reasons you will soon understand as you will read future chapters.**

 **Numba two, Braylon and his crew technically DID NOT open the Vault but they are witnesses to what happened when it opened. And our homie? He was the Jesus of the situation if you know what am I sayin'.**

 **Numba three, the last scene? It was a psychotic episode but only to a certain point. The voice? It was something else. And it was fucking with him, trying to tempt him to go postal on whole Beacon. Why calling Braylon a prisoner? Welp, you might wanna keep an eye on dream sequences later on. Starting from the next chapter which will probably be this week.**

 **And if you think it goes kinda over the edge to the point of being bullshit. Well, let me just say that the first group of Vault hunters did stop a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE along with a ROBOLUTION and killing A GIANT CRAB THE SIZE OF THE BIGGEST BUILDING ON EARTH AND MAYBE BIGGER. The second killed a GIANT SNOWMAN, ANOTHER GIANT BEAST and so on. And since this is a parody, I decided to take it up to eleven. So take it all with a bit of humor.**

 **TOODLES, MOTHERFUCKERS!**


	6. Puzzle

**Hello pimps and playas! Before the narrator starts with his storytelling, lemme tell you something. I heard that some of you are saying that ma homie Braylon is OP as fuck. I ain** **'t even mad! Now lemme explain something. Something about the game series Borderlands.**

 **You see, when you break down the game, it becomes clear that it is meant to be a parody of all FPS games out there, you know what am I sayin'? In such games, you always have one character who is capable of leveling to the ground entire armies of humans/aliens/monsters/whatever motherfuckers come from the author's creepy mind and to defeat the final boss which comes with the famous FPS rule #13 which says "The final boss of the game will always be bigger and stronger than the main protagonist and yet the protagonist will pull off a victory almost 80% of the times." The same thing you can clearly see being parodied in Borderlands. Badass bandits, 3 meter tall psychopaths, army robots, warfare vehicles even "invincible" creatures end up dead in front of the Vault hunters. Hell, there is even one who killed enough people to populate a small country. Something that should not be possible IRL. Unless you are God or Terminator or Terminator + God. Now, it is true that this fucker tries to pull off a story here, but it is also true that he tries to make battles look more of a parody (even if have serious brutality and injuries) than an actual fight. A parody of Borderlands series. Meaning, parody of a parody (parodyception).**

 **Now, our homie Braylon is born on Pandora and we all know how shitty that place is. Now imagine someone who is born and raised on such battlefield. By definition, he must be a badass + psycho + giant dick to everyone. His special ability is defined in the first chapter. I mean, just when you look at all of his armory he is carrying with himself it should be clear that the fucker tries to make people laugh rather than be a serious character in a serious story. So when you see a battle going on, do not focus on powers of each side. Instead, try to focus at the absurdity of the battle in general and take it for lulz if not anything else. Of course, in each battle there is also a degree of seriousness (case in point: the painful injuries Braylon delivers to his enemies). I told you to expect the bullshit meter to rise to the stars when Braylon is involved, am I right?**

 **Almost forgot, I should warn you to pay close attention to musical choices in key spots (such as battles). Especially those that have lyrics in them. Understanding symbolism helps, after all.**

 **Enough talking, enjoy pimps and playas!**

* * *

 _"So… this is it."_

 _"End of the line."_

 _"Damn straight."_

 _"We really did it. After so much shit we have been through."_

 _"Kinda feels… weird. Right? Oh god damn it!"_

 _"Oh my gosh, I am so exicted!"_

 _"Geez woman, you will suffocate him."_

 _"Perhaps we should remove her from him?"_

 _"Good idea."_

 _"Hhmhmh! AH! Thanks guys. Almost died by those mountains."_

 _"Lucky bastard. I would like to die in a warm embrace of a woman."_

 _"Well, you can have her."_

 _"What was that?!"_

 _"Nothing dear! I swear!"_

 _"I belong only to you with all my body, heart and soul."_

 _"Uh… thanks? I guess?"_

 _"Oh god, she is lovestruck again."_

 _"Perhaps we should slap her?"_

 _"Try! I dare you!"_

 _"Sorry ma_ _'am!"_

 _"Guys, I have this. Don't worry."_

 _SLAP!_

 _"Ahn!~"_

 _"Okay, I made it worse."_

 _AHEM!_

 _"Sorry for interrupting your… bonding moment."_

 _"You!"_

 _"Crap! We are surrounded!"_

 _"Yes, you are. Now hand over the Vault key and no one will get hurt."_

 _"You know what to do, team! LET'S KICK SOME ASS!"_

* * *

GASP!

COUGH! COUGH!

"Fuck!" Braylon woke up. His widened eyes searched the room as if trying to find something. He finally calmed himself and took a few breaths of fresh air.

" _…Was I sleeping?_ " Braylon wondered. He looked through the window and saw nothing but stars. It was night. Wait, a broken moon?

" _Ooooo. So that is the object that was hit by that death ray! Man, that computer is amazing! It could have said that it was a moon of a planet populated by humans though._ "

…Oh fuck.

Better keep that mouth shut. If these people discover that the "object" was obliterated just because _someone_ decided to push a button for the lulz… better not to think about it.

The rest of the team RWBBY was already sleeping. How much did Braylon sleep again?

Not important right now. Better find a quiet place.

* * *

Braylon managed to reach the roof ninja-style. Time to start thinking. But first…

Braylon materialized the last can of canned Skag meat and a bottle of Rakk beer. While eating, Braylon took a look at his PDA. It seems that he toggled off the program that keeps him awake. Not surprising he slept so much. It always goes like this when you don't sleep for a long time. Some serious shit must have happened for him to do something like this. Oh right, the event. Still better than the ones when sleeping. Those are the worst. No wonder he has that program.

He shook his head. He has better things to do now. Like trying to repair the corrupted file.

An hour later, Braylon managed to repair the file but not completely. What was the file in question? A voice recording.

It seems that the device recorded some audio during an unknown period of time. It is short. It would have been longer if Braylon knew how to repair it completely.

Let's see what it is.

CLICK!

 **Audio file selected. Processing.**

* * *

 _Static._

 _Screaming can be heard in the background. More like echoes of screams. It appears that whoever is screaming is being tortured._

 _Heavy footsteps. First distant, then closer and closer._

 _TUMP! TUMP! TUMP!_

 _Heavy breathing. Really loud._

 _A low growl._

 _"Aaah! Nnnrgh! AAHH!"_

 _Static._

 _"Fuck you! Fuck you! FUCK Y-ARGH! AAAAHH!"_

 _Another low growl._

 _CREAK! SGNEEEEEK! SNAP!_

 _"NNNNAAAAARGH!"_

 _Yet another growl. This time louder._

 _A hiss. Like that of a snake but louder and more distorted._

 _A deep voice starts chanting in unknown language._

 _Sound of chains being shaken._

 _Static._

* * *

 **End of recording.**

…

Okay… wow. I don't know what to say. Creepy? Yes. Valuable? Maybe. Has info? Not much.

Braylon had goosebumps. He was _scared_.

When Braylon is scared, you know something is fucked up. He is usually calm and collected. I mean, years of shootouts an adventures do serve some purpose, you know. But still, there were times when Braylon got scared. It was always when he was facing something he didn't knew anything about. Like that time when he became a temporary lab rat for a mad scientist. He killed him at the end, though. But damn, it was not something that someone would really like to experience twice.

Uh-oh. Some shady noise from behind. Time to stop thinking and draw your weapons. Wait, fuck! If he uses his weapons, he will wake up the entire school. Something that he is not willing to do.

There was something on the roof. It was invisible but obvious to spot. First one, then two, then three. All three jumped down on some ten meters away from Braylon and finally decided to take off their cloaking devices.

The Black Skulls.

Dahl's finest stealth assassins. To the point of being compared to Atlas Omega or whatever the fuck they were called. Unlike Atlas, who hired only women for that job, Dahl hires only men. Well, "hires". More likely kidnapping little boys from their families and training them to become what they are now. Always in groups, always cooperating, never question the authority, hard to kill and skilled as fuck.

Each of them drew a combat knife and took a battle position. These guys mean business. Completely silent. Nice and clean. No witnesses, no proof of any kind of involvement.

Better fight now and ask questions later. Hey look, it also started raining.

( **AN:** Start the song from Yakuza (the one for ps2) called "End of the drama")

Complete silence. No one moved.

Then it began.

The one on the left and the one on the right ran forward, jumped and attempted to attack with their legs. Each on their respective side. Braylon blocked the attacks with his hands but was surprised by the middle one who tried to stab him. Braylon backed away but was still hit. Only a small cut on his left shoulder.

The left one and the right one made a backflip in the air and decided to try again. This time Braylon jumped forward and tackled the middle one with a kick. The fucker did not fall on the ground. Instead, he just made a midair backflip and got straight on his legs. How does one do that?

It was what the assassins hoped he would do. No he was opened on three sides.

All three sprinted towards Braylon. Going against all three of them at the same time is a suicide. Think, damn it!

Braylon ran towards the edge of the roof and jumped down. He fell on a lower roof with a loud thump. The three assassins followed him with style. They still managed to surround him.

Braylon decided to go first. He fired a Holo Sawblade at one of the assassins who dodged. This disrupted their attack maneuver. Braylon sprinted towards one of the assassins and punched him in the stomach, then chin and then made him fall on the ground with a 360 kick to his legs. Before he could do anything else, the other two jumped in by kicking Braylon on his back, which made him fall on the ground. The assassin who fell down quickly got up and jumped forward in an attempt to stab Braylon.

Braylon shoot another Holo Sawblade right into the attacker's chest. It went through and caused a serious wound but he still went on with his plan to stab Braylon's ass.

"Oh shi-" Braylon had to interrupt his curse just to dodge the attack. The fucking knife pierced through the floor.

He got up but now he had to suffer a combo attack.

The first guy stabbed Braylon in his right hip, the second punched him in the face and the third did a roundhouse kick. The attack threw Braylon off the roof. Only to fall on another, yet lower than the last one.

This one was special because it had a generator that powered a portion of the academy. This gave Braylon a brilliant idea.

Braylon got up (the pain was with him but he ignored it) and ran towards the generator. His back was now in touch with the cold steel of the thing. He saw the three dudes jumping down like they were some kind of ninjas.

He knew they are not stupid. They will not are to attack near that thing. What they didn't knew was that Braylon had another thing in mind.

With his Holo Sabre he ripped a hole in the generator and took out a shard of that Dust thingy. It was creating electricity.

Prying that it would work, Braylon quickly tossed the shard to the one in the middle which picked it in midair with his hand. The guy thought that his target tried to distract him or hit him with that. Boy, he had no idea.

The shard electrified the assassin. It was so powerful that it fried him on spot. Thanks to the weather and his metallic armor, the guy became fried chicken in less than thirty seconds. The corpse fell on the ground violently.

Well, what would you know. It seems that they had no idea what Dust is. At least one of them didn't. I think that he will have a lot of time in hell to figure out what happened to him and what was the cause of his death.

Sadly, this will not work on the remaining two.

Now that they know the trick, the will attempt to engage Braylon from a long distance. Or…

Yup. They decided to go invisible.

If Braylon learned something from all of his crazy adventures, it is that anything visible that tries to be invisible, will fail to do the job properly. There is always going to be a detail that will betray the item in question. Case in point: the wounded guy. Even if he was hard to see, one could easily spot small drops of blood here and there. Just what he needed. But first, he must play make-believe by acting as if he saw nothing.

So he decided to move his head left and right as if panicking. He saw drops of blood coming closer, then going in circle around him. Time for a surprise.

Braylon quickly materialized his Holo Sabre and made a 360 horizontal slash. Suddenly, from his right, a fountain of blood was floating in the air. Few seconds later, the invisible assassin became visible but was missing his head (which was rolling on the floor and spraying blood everywhere).

Now here is the interesting part. Since he killed two, he needed the last one alive. He needed answers. Why is Dahl so pissed off at him to the point of not only sending an RKV but also elite assassins? From what he remembers, he didn't do anything that would sabotage the corporation. Nevermind now, just focus on the last assassin. Just wait and see, he is about to attack and…

He never came.

( **AN:** Here ends the fight.)

The pussy must have escaped. It is already five minutes of waiting. All clear it seems.

Well that was surprisingly unexpected. But also weird. You see, Black Skulls never do their job in half. If they fail the first time (which is unlikely) the come back. It always goes like this. No exceptions.

But what if the purpose was something else? Something entirely different from simple murder?

This would mean that they were hired to gather information. But what kind of information? His combat abilities? His creativity? Survival skills?

So much food for thought.

* * *

The following day was relatively calm. Everyone was at the arena with Goodwitch. The female Torgue was fighting against Weiss. Actually, everyone in team RWBBY is going to fight today. Except Braylon because he was marked as "too dangerous" by Goodwitch. He ain't even mad. It was perfectly understandable since she saw all of team CRDL going to the infirmary. It perfect for him to think.

Let's go step by step.

First, the audio file. It was weird that his PDA recorded something like that. Usually he used the recording program for something like strategies or serious conversation. Why using it on a thing like that? Not to mention that the rest of the file is too damaged to even bother repairing it. It wasn't anything useful, though. He couldn't even get the date of the recording. He tried to focus his mind on any memory of torture that would be close to that of the audio file. None of them had those loud footsteps and those growls. What was that? It sounded like it was some kind of executioner or some shit. The sound of chains implied that someone was restrained. The cursing voice was heavily damaged to be identifiable. Guess it is a dead end.

Second, the assassins. Now he did piss off few people here and there, but never an entire fucking corporation. Do you have any idea how powerful those are? They own galaxies in their pockets. Money is not a problem for them. An example? Pandora. Years ago it was property of Dahl… until Atlas came. Now that Atlas is gone, Pandora is one of the few planets where you can relax without having the big brother watching you 24/7. The reason for their expansion is the fact that nobody cared or had any authority over them. If they want war, they have it. If they want a planet, they have it too. But back to the topic, could it be that he did something during the memory gap that now he is completely unaware about? Everything is possible at this point. But now he must be extra careful. Because anyone can be a potential assassin. Great.

Third, Dust. Interestingly enough, Dust shares many similar properties with Eridium. During his research (read: took books from library about Dust and stole a luggage filled with Dust from Weiss) he found out that the two are surprisingly alike. When applied to bullets, they cause elemental damage. Even though from what is currently known, Eridium can only something known as "Slag" while Dust can cause a whole range of elemental effects. Both are used for creating weapons but Eridium has advantage here. E-tech and Eridium are like DNA but for technology. With them, everything is possible. Those fancy laser weapons? Robots with super intelligent AI? Digistruct tech? Everything comes from Eridians! We basically stole their technology and applied it to us. The technological leap we made thanks to Eridians is amazing.

What, you think a human would ever come up with an instruction manual on how to build a portable force-field generator that not only protects you from external damage but also _improves the lethality of the bullets fired by your gun_? Or how to make a laser weapon that shoots lasers that do the exact opposite of what a laser should do (to freeze instead to burn)?  
Hell, the original laser weapons we developed through history required a god damn ship to carry them. Not to mention the completely E-tech weapons, courtesy from Hyperion. Those things are designed to bring apocalypse inside their magazines. Dear god, you have heavy machine guns that turn solid bullets into plasma shots when fired out from the gun (and thus giving a middle finger to all known laws of quantum physics and chemistry), plasma casters, fast reloading Digistruct tech, Gyro-jet explosive bullets and so on.

However, there are problems. The only thing we know about E-tech is how to copy it. I mean, we barely scratched the surface of the whole spectrum of potentials this stuff can do. It will probably remain that way forever since the only ones who could give us an explanation went through extinction.

But this one piece of info beats them all.

Both Eridium and Dust can only be found on their respective planets.

You see, every other known element on periodic table can be found virtually anywhere. Stars, asteroids, planets, organisms… but not Eridium. This one can only, and I repeat, only found on Pandora. Not inside its wildlife, but underground… and in enormous quantities. It was theorized that Eridium was created spontaneously when the first Vault opened and it is continuing to do so ever since. In fact, that very first Vault changed everything. Probably even the course of history. Too bad those Vault hunters will never be remembered as those who dared to find it and open it. History is written by the winners and in this case, those who have more money. So it was before, and so it will be again. Even Braylon will be forgotten. Some will talk about him as if he is a legend… others will dismiss him and his existence. The only ones who know the truth are him and his original team back on Pandora.

Man, get your shit together. Not the time and place for emotion bombs. Speaking of bombs…

BOOM!

Huh, Weiss got her ass handed to her by that JNPR girl. Awesome. Now he can rub it in her face just for the hell of it.

Time for a lunch break.

* * *

What separated Braylon and his teammates were three guys (whom he threatened to rip out their intestines and sell them as cheap jump ropes on ECHOnet if they didn't let him go forward). When he reached the meals, he was puzzled.

 _"What is this shit? Where is Skag meat? Or Rakk beer? Fuck, forgot that I am on a shitty planet. Oh well…"_

He approached the woman behind the counter and spoke.

"I want some of those small green shotgun pellets there, some of that yellow gooey stuff and a steak of whatever god-forsaken organism is that. Oh and a glass of that orange piss."

When he got what he ordered, he went to the nearest free table and stared at his food. What the fuck is all of that? Is it even edible? Let's try.

Hmm… the shotgun pellets are somewhat sweet. Kinda good taste, I guess?

This yellow stuff is creamy, maybe a bit too much. It looks like something mashed repeatedly.

Oh god, that piss is disgusting. Too sweet. Give Braylon a god damn Rakk beer already! All of his weapons just for a bottle!

Let's hope that the steak is something good… not bad actually. Whatever it is, it is really good. Too bad Braylon has no idea what it is. All of his life he ate either Skags, Rakks, Stalkers and sometimes Crabworms. This was all new to him. Where is his team, by the way?

" _What the-_ "

At his table sat four guys he never saw before. Each brought their respective meals.

"Hey pal. This table is already taken and-"

"Braylon Monocriffe." Said the guy on his right.

… It seems that today is a very unlucky day for Braylon. Murphy's laws are in effect.

"Most wanted criminal on 10 planets, including Promethia, Babylon 3 and Arabis…"

"Shut up and eat."

Here comes the rest of RWBBY and with them, team JNPR. Yup, great day for Murphy's laws.

"Hey, we found a table over there." Ruby chirped in her usual good mood. "If you want, you can… go… with us…" Her optimistic mood quickly fell under the silence that was at the table. Everyone, including Braylon just sat there without touching their food.

"Is… everything alright?" Yang asked. I think she already knew the answer.

"Hmpf." The guy on the right picked up his knife and looking at his reflection emanating from the object. "Such a shame, really. But… it needs to be done."

Suddenly, the guy tried to stab Braylon's throat with his knife. He calmly grabbed his hand and blocked the sharp object inches away from its target. The girls gasped in horror.

"Are you crazy?! What is your problem?!" Said Weiss, completely oblivious to the attempted murder. Team JNPR was also taken by surprise. Mostly their leader.

"Okay… we were just about to go away, right?" Said the guy but he met no answer.

Other guys got up from the table and started moving the other tables away, to clear the path for the fight that is about to happen. The knife nut just got up and grabbed another knife. Everyone else got a puzzled look. Braylon just sat there, staring at nothingness.

"HA!" The nut shouted. He jumped on the table.

"Today is your lucky day, Pandorian!"

With his lunch ruined, Braylon got up and prepared himself for another fight.

"Braylon! What is going on?! Answer me!" Ruby ordered.

"Your family…"

The assassins approached Braylon, ready to kill him.

"…will see you in hell!"


	7. Deadline

**AN: Hello readers! How are you? Fine? Good. Hey listen here, I decided to bring something new to the series. From now on, I will (at least try) respond to the comments from the last chapter. Let me explain, since this is chapter 7, I will respond to the comments from chapter 6. So let** **'s get started.**

 **Guest (number one): No. They are not useless. They just fulfilled his wishes of him fighting alone his own fights. But as it goes on, it will be clear that they will need to intervene to stop him from killing someone. The things that happened in this chapter are just the beginning.**

 **Guest (number two, dunno if the same): You know, you actually made me think there for a second. The first idea was for the Vault hunter to kill the guy with the knives in front of everybody. Then, he would act all casual (since it would be routine) while others would lose their shit. Eventually, it would bite him in the ass at the end. But, I came with something slightly different but I believe it is interesting anyways.**

 **So this is all for now. Enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

This can't be right. How did the assassins return so quickly? _If_ they are the same. The knife nut probably is, seeing his skill. No idea about the remaining three. Probably some losers who try to make easy money. But Braylon had different issues now. He was trying so badly to not loose control and rip their hearts out. There would also be Ozpin who would nag him about school policy and shit like that. Would he really take the risk and kill them in front of others, including his team leader? Has he no respect for other lives?

…Meh.

Then something peculiar happened. The four girls of his team suddenly jumped in front of him. What are they doing, for fuck's sake?! Are they trying to ruin his reputation?

"Can I know what are you four trying to do?"

Ruby turned around. Braylon was not going to like the answer.

"Braylon, remember that we are a team now. If somebody picks a fight with one of us, he picks a fight with the whole team."

 _"Wow. I am so impressed."_ Braylon facepalmed at Ruby's philosophy.

"Whoa there! Since when you let women do the job for you! HAHAHA!"

"…Don't push me."

"Braylon, we will help you this time!" Ruby chirped happily. I think she didn't realize that those are assassins. And by the looks of it, she was not the only one…

"Listen, stay-"

"No, you listen this time! I am the leader and as such I won't let you down!"

The killers laughed at the awkward scene. If the situation was different, Braylon would choke that tiny neck of hers for saying such stupid nonsense.

"Aww… isn't she sweet? She is trying to help someone who cannot even help himself."

Braylon grit his teeth and shut his eyes angrily. You know what?

"Fine! Do as you wish! Just let me have that knife-loving-retard."

The girls cheered as if they were celebrating. Why are they so happy to help him? I think they would throw him to the wolves if they knew the bigger picture.

( **AN:** Here you can play any song you like. If you do not have one, then play an OST from Yakuza called "West Insanity")

The team split up.

"Hey blondie. You look like you really want a man to warm you up." One sidekick said to the fast approaching Yang.

"Maybe, but…" She equipped her gauntlets, deciding to do a little magic trick. "You are not my type!"

She used the shotgun function of her weapon to add further speed to herself. She looked like a damn bullet freshly fired from a gun.

"What the-!" The guy was taken by surprise and before he could move his hands up to defend himself, his face felt a sudden wave of pain caused by Yang's right hook. The punch was even more powerful due to the gauntlet and it threw the sidekick straight through several rows of tables. Yang, or the rest of the girls will later realize that the bad guys had no aura bullshit to protect them, which is why they went down with few hits.

"For being bullies, you guys are weak!" She taunted and went to help Blake.

The guy who was fighting Blake was a bit taller but still skilled. He had a buzzsaw like one of those psychos on Pandora (but he himself was not one of them). Unlike the first sidekick, this guy could afford a shield to protect himself. At least he thought that.

"I will gut you like a fish, you whore!" He yelled at Blake with anger. Anger because he failed to hit her every time. She was much more agile than him and even more collected because she didn't even flinch at his words.

Blake jumped at the one of the tables. With a war cry, the second sidekick raised his buzzsaw in order to strike down on her. To give more fuel to the burning fire of his rage, she dodged and his buzzsaw ended up breaking the table in half.

"Stay still so I can kill you!" After another few attempts, he finally managed to hit her. Well, it turns out it was a fake.

"Huh?" The guy was dumbfounded.

"Behind you." She whispered. When he turned around, he was hit with her Gambol Shroud. Luckily for him, the shield absorbed all the damage but was depleted, which was unlucky for Blake.

He smiled, to Blake's confusion.

"Thank you, I was hoping you would do that… so that I could do THIS!"

The shield Blake just depleted was a Nova shield. A shield that is also a weapon. How, you ask? Simple, when the shield is depleted, it emits an elemental explosion that damages any fool that thinks it is good to stand near one. The sidekick had one with an explosive nova. When it was released, it hit Blake and made her hit a nearby wall. Thanks to the soul magic bullshit, she was not hurt. But the guy was coming closer, and he was about to hit her!

"Stay away from her!" He heard another woman yell. It was Yang who punched him so hard that he felt it even when he traveled to the Realm of Dreams.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Don't mention it. Hey, did you notice how weak these guys are?"

"Yes. They do not look like hunters."

"Antoine! Gregor!" The third and final sidekick yelled. His friends were KOed while his hands were tied by two brats!

"Boss! These women are witches! They use magic!" The guy panicked as he fired few shots from his pistol to Weiss, who blocked with one of her magical gylphs and shit.

"Hey, ugly!" Ruby screamed, which startled the man. She then smacked him with the non sharp part of her Crescent Rose. Nearly all his teeth fell out in the process. Ruby cringed when she saw this.

"Sorry!" She shouted at the man who just fell unconscious.

"He is unconscious, you dolt." Weiss facepalmed. Ruby blushed due to embarrassment and started poking her index fingers against each other.

The knife nut saw all that ass kicking. It was frustrating because it didn't go according to plan. They even managed to pull off the student camouflage. Now came these prissy brats and screwed everything up.

"Incompetent fools. I should have never take third rate soldiers for an assassination. No matter, I will take you out by myself."

"Getting cocky, aren't we? After all the suffering. Impressive."

"Hmpf, I am flattered. But know this, you managed to kill my two comrades simply out of luck. But your luck is running out! I have completed hundreds of contracts, what makes -"

Braylon, now being tired of his shit, backhanded the assassin right in the already fucked up face, then he threw a powerful punch right at his stomach which caused him to bend slightly and vomit out a mixture of blood and whatever he ate the day before and wrapped it all up with a roundhouse kick that would make Chuck Norris proud. The beaten knife nut fell down from the tables and hit the floor with a loud thud.

( **AN:** Here ends the combat scene.)

Yang saw the combo and whistled.

"Wow, nice moves Braylon! Uh… hello?"

He, however, was busy with the assassin that tried to murder him. Good thing the guy was still conscious and/or not dead. He would get the answers he needed. With brutal efficiency. He took out his Unforgiven revolver and pointed it right at the bloody head, shocking everyone in both the crowd and team. Time to ask.

"Who sent you? Was it Dahl?"

Of course, Ruby needed to stick her nose in his business. That little shit.

"What are you doing?! Stop, the fight is over!"

Heh, the Skagsuck is smiling. Maybe this will make him more cooperative.

BANG!

"OW, MY KNEE! MY FUCKING KNEE! GOD DAMIT!"

"Are you ready to talk now?"

Ruby was horrified by the scene. Braylon showed no emotions whatsoever when he pulled the trigger. To torture another human being like that was unthinkable for our young wannabe hero.

"You idiot, are you TRYING to give us a bad name?!" The white chicken just _had_ to give her opinion on things, right?

"Yeah man! Not cool!" Even Yellow now?! What is this comedy?!

"Who hired you? Answer me!"

Just when the bird was about to sing, there came Goodwitch, angrier than ever. Especially when she saw Braylon with his gun pointed at a downed "student".

"That's enough, Mr. Braylon! I will take care of the rest. You, go straight to the headmaster's office, now!"

"What's wrong with you, woman? Why are you so worked up? Uh, girls? Help?"

Others were pissed off too. Ruby looked like she was about to cry at any moment.

"D'aw shit."

* * *

Ozpin sat in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand while holding his glasses with the other. The mere thought of all the paperwork he had to finish was enough to give him a headache. His mug has been taken (again) by Braylon. What made his more frustrated was the complete laid back attitude from a guy who would have probably killed somebody if there were no… unpleasant circumstances. And yet, he did not show any of it. His face was still stoic but for how much more?

Braylon laughed. "You got that right! Eh, what do you say?" He first looked at Ozpin and Glynda. While he was stoic, she had a look of disgust mixed with anger. He turned to his team on the left, and they were still pissed. Okay… he turned to his right, where team JNPR was located (why the fuck are THEY here?) and he met the same results.

"Oh come on!" He whined. "You can be happy that he wasn't looking for a priest so that he could be baptized, because then I would have to take my shotgun and baptize him with lead. Now that I think about it, I just had an idea for a movie. A preacher goes around town and purifies the sinners with his shotgun and –"

"Mr. Braylon." Ozpin interrupted the displeased Braylon who just sighed.

"Well I am trying to be a good sport about it."

"Good sport?!" Ruby exploded. Her anger couldn't be contained anymore. "You SHOT A MAN IN THE LEG back there! There was no reason to do it!"

"No reason?! The guy tried to kill ME!"

"Still, it is not a good reason!"

"Pfft. Keep thinking that way. It will bring you so much in your life."

The heiress started speaking her mind. Not very helpful.

"You are insane! Are you aware of the crime you committed? Now everyone will label us as dangerous because of you and- are you even listening?! What are you doing?"

"I'm Irishing up my coffe." Braylon replied as he nonchalantly poured one third of a bottle of whiskey into his cup. The bottle was slapped away by Yang who lost control.

"The fuck is wrong with you? You are acting like you don't give a shit about injuring someone for life who you probably don't even know."

While Yang was speaking, Braylon narrowed his eyes and made a quizzical look as he took a sip from the mug.

"Okay, Maybe you didn't understand. Let me try this again. That guy and the three stooges were hired by someone to hunt me down and kill me. Now this wouldn't be so bad, if their boss knew when to stop speaking bullshit."

"This reminded me of something else I wanted to say." Ozpin leaned closer. "Our staff found… two deceased people on the roofs. Do you have anything to say about that?"

" _You've gotta be kidding me. He already labeled me as a suspect?_ Um… Nothing. I dindunuffin."

Ozpin just raised his eyebrow in response. The teams had slightly different reactions.

"Someone died?" Jaune asked, he started trembling like a leaf.

"Who could have done such a vile act?" Pyrrha became angry.

For a few minutes, the only sound in the office were that of Braylon sipping his alcoholic coffee.

Ozpin thought that he would need a double cup of coffee after this. He dismissed Braylon, who was more than happy to leave. However he decided to speak with JNPR and RWBY about something he saw as important.

* * *

It was lunch time and now NOBODY will interrupt him in his epic quest to devour food from his plate. Still, the fact that he didn't kill those assassins bothered him. He knew that they were going to cool off for some time in the city jail, but it was just a matter of time, for they would be released by Dahl corporation. That is, _if_ the corporation itself hired them. He also knew that the knife nut was definitely the third guy from last night, returning to complete his job. If they return, the will be able to give more details about him and that was something he couldn't afford right now. So it boils down to assassination. How ironic, the assassins will be assassinated by their target. The problem is _how_ to reach them. He couldn't just go inside the station and start tossing lead to the donut-eaters… or could he? Crap, his team arrived, better acting all chill.

"Sup." Yang hit Braylon's back playfully. It was like hitting a wall stronger than steel.

"Sup." He replied.

"So, team RWBBY. What shall we do today?" Ruby smiled. She is definitely up for something.

"Study."

"Read."

"Have fun!"

"Sho… hm… relax."

Awkward silence. Ruby started thinking of something to keep the conversation going. Then, everybody saw Braylon turning his head towards the table where team CRDL sat. Somehow healed partially from the injuries, they completely ignored him as he pulled out his iron. He fired at one large bottle in the middle of their table. The bottle exploded and covered CRDL with its content. Every other activity stopped just to look at what happened. Their leader, Cardin, let out a few curses.

"Who the fuck did this?!" He shouted. He then saw a smiling Braylon with the barrel of his revolver releasing a trail of smoke. He immediately got the message and sat down quietly.

Braylon returned to his table and he met few dropped jaws.

"Never gets old." He said and started eating some corn bread. Who the fuck still eats corn bread?!

"So… Weiss… did you made the homework we had?"

"Of course I did! Who do you think I am? As a heiress, it is my duty to…"

As soon as White started speaking, Braylon just shut himself out and returned to his previous thoughts. How could he do this without getting caught by Ozzy or his team?

"… you, Braylon?"

"Hm?"

"Did you do your homework?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because, I am the leader here and our team must always be awesome."

"Yea yea, sure. Awesome and all that. Hey here is an idea, why don't you bother Blake and leave me alone?"

At those words, Blake shot a look at Braylon as her bow _twitched_.

Strange. Since when bows twitch by themselves? Nah, maybe it was just an illusion.

* * *

After yet another boring day full of uninteresting classes, team RWBBY returned to their room. A brief small talk here and some stupid antics from the sisters there, everyone went to bed. Braylon faked sleeping so he could wait for others to do it for him. When he heard snoring, he quietly got up and opened the door, completely unaware that a certain bookworm of the team was awake as well and had its eyes glued on him.

As he walked down the hall he heard some whispers. Too low to be recognized.

 _"…Prisoner…join us…bleed…"_

Then, the light at the end of the hall just shut down, leaving a thick veil of darkness behind. Then another light and then another. Closer and closer.

He started breathing heavily. Something was happening and he had no idea what.

As the darkness grew, so did the number of voices. Some angry, some sad. Some demanding help, some laughing maniacally.

And then the floor started cracking and from cracks a crimson light illuminated the whole hall. Still, the darkness was stronger so the light did not served any purpose. But it _did_ make a few shadowy figures in the distance clear to him. They did not approach or did anything for that matter. Just staring. Hundreds of eyes staring. Yellow, red, blue. All animalistic, thirsty for his blood, angry, _abominable_. One eye there, then a cluster of tiny ones here, two just down near the floor. It would look like a piece of art from a inexperienced artist if it wasn't so frightening. One of them spoke. A pair of green eyes that do not belong to any animal he had ever seen. Too small, yet too big and deep.

 _"Prisoner… we are coming for you… you will try to run away from us… but we both know that you cannot run forever… you are weak… you get tired… we do not… and when you slow down to take fresh air inside… that putrid cage of flesh and blood… we will catch you…"_

"N… no… go away… GO AWAY!"

Laughter. Monstrous laughter. It was so loud. Just like in the elevator. He decided to shut his eyes and count to ten. It worked because when he opened his eyes, everything was back to normal. As it should be. He got _that_ feeling again. Like in one of those movies where the protagonist knows what is he dealing with and yet he cannot remember anything about it. How it is called, where it comes from, why him. Questions left unanswered.

Blake was peeking from the corner when this all happened. To her, a mere mortal, it looked as if Braylon had a hallucination. It was worrying, sure, but she will not return just for this. If he does something troublesome, she will respond.

Braylon's further movement down the hall ended her chain of thoughts. She followed him for all this time. They both arrived at the parking spot for those large flying vehicles. She watched as he took out silently the guards and went inside. Then, the vehicle started flying towards the city.

Time to wake up Ruby and others. Something is clearly going on. Whatever it is, it is definitely not good.

* * *

 **AN: So this is it for this chapter! Thanks for reading and be sure to follow the story as in the next episode Braylon will do such a raid that it will go down to history as one of the worst mass shootings Remnant ever had. Toodles!**


	8. Assault

**Hello y** **'all! I am back! This is it, guys and gals! The moment you've been waiting for, you sick fucks! But first, the comments:**

 **Guest (the police chief one): Good idea. Did I placed it in the chapter? Read to find out. ;)**

 **Guest (the usual one): First of all, I had that idea in mind (the police station genocide). Second, the fic is not dead. I need to remind you all that I am writing three stories here. Not to mention I have a life to live. So my plan went from "update almost every week" to "update when I can". So you will have to wait. Even if it means a month. I am sorry but I do not have any other way to do this.**

 **Mr TIBBS: Christ, you people are really some sick motherfuckers. No worries, I shall give you what you want. Your bishop of blood and carnage will satisfy your urges (at least I hope so).**

 **mynamesJEFF: Hm, actually I have no idea. Guess I will leave it to the next chapter since this one is dedicated only to the massacre.**

 **Enough with bullshit! Bon appetit!**

* * *

Braylon stood in front of Vale Police department. It looked like a poor attempt at trying to copy the White House from DC. You know, all white and shit.

After passing several stairs Braylon went through the glass door and what he saw almost made him do a face-vault of epic proportions.

If the building was ugly from the outside, from the inside was way worse. Checkered floor? Check. A nerd sitting behind a large counter? Check. Big-ass room? Check. An entire god-damn row of small wooden blocks, each filled with one man/woman in a business suit, just sitting there in the far right? Check. Man, it is really nice knowing that not even Remnant can live without the good ole bureaucracy. I mean, is this where the tax payer's money goes? Seriously?

Anyways, Braylon now needed to wait due to three people being in front of him and checking some papers with the nerd. So he started thinking.

" _Oh man, I just hope I don_ _'t_ _need to use violence for at least once in my life. Maybe this time everything is gonna be okay. I just need to relax._ "

Fifteen fucking minutes later, Braylon finally arrived to the nerd's table. Boy, was he ugly. He was a ginger with the biggest pair of glasses I've ever seen, a red butterfly-shaped necktie, a _pocket protector_ (God, please kill me) and a stereotypical bucktooth face with small dots on each cheek.

"Welcome to Vale Police Department. What can I do for you, sir?" He spoke in one of those I-hate-my-life-and-or-job voices. Braylon slightly cringed. He seriously wanted to punch that face.

"Hi there." Braylon started. "I would like to have a visit with some prisoners."

"I'm sorry sir, but we do not accept visitors today."

Calm down.

"No… you don't understand. I really need to see them."

"I'm sorry sir, but we do not accept visitors today."

I said calm down!

Braylon slammed his fist on the counter, thus earning looks from nearby people.

"Listen here, jackass. If I do not see this prisoners, they will escape out of your shitty jails -and…"

As the situation couldn't be worse, a fat bastard in a blue uniform came to toss more fuel to the fire.

"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" He asked while trying to imitate some movie star from the 1980s.

"No officer. I was about to leave." David calmly said and quickly got out of the VPD. " _Fuck me, now I have to make a massacre…_ "

The fat bastard looked at him and shook his head.

"Hehe… kids these days… did you see that attitude? He was probably one of those 'hunters' as they call themselves." The bastard took off his hat and used it to wipe away the sweat from his face. "Oh yes. Sadly young people have no respect for authority" Her turned to the nerd. "Well, at least he was kind enough to not smash his way in with a bike. Man, what a mess that would have been."

The irony gods heard the cries of a mortal so they decided to intervene. It was all quiet when suddenly a _yellow bike_ smashed through the front door and continued forward towards the counter, killing the nerd and the fat bastard in the process. People started panicking while the officers took their guns out from their holsters. Braylon slowly reached the hole that replaced the entrance while holding his Nukem on his left shoulder and his Fusillade in his right hand.

( **AN:** Play the song "Knock Knock" from Scattle. Seriously, the song is perfect for such scenes.)

Braylon fired his Nukem to the left side of the room. The large explosion killed several people and made a _huge_ hole on the wall (he never noticed that some chunks of the wall fell on few lowlifes, that stood outside in an alley and planned a robbery, and buried them alive). He dematerialized his Nukem and now went for the Fusillade. He held finger on the trigger as he constantly fired hot lead in 180 degrees, making sure to kill the remaining officers. The gun was so loud that the echo sounded like thunder. No man or woman was able to survive past the first bullet, as the gun was so powerful that it pierced through the ballistic vest (and any other type of defense measure) like paper. He continued to fire for five more minutes and only stopped firing when the magazine was out of bullets. The whole room was filled with corpses and blood on every surface possible.

Now you are probably thinking: "But yes, the fuck does he care about? He just needs to kill one or two cops and he will be able to easily reach the prisoners."

My sweaty balls.

Here, even the alarm started ringing. Time to prepare for war.

There was a wooden door on the other end of the room. A group of twelve officers came out of it. Hell, even _SWAT_ started going down from the windows on the ceiling. Braylon covered behind a wall as he dematerialized his Fusillade.

"Come out with your hands in the air!" One officer shouted.

"Don't try anything stupid!" The other added.

"What the fuck do you want from me?!" Braylon shouted back from his cover. "I just wanted to see the prisoners, for fuck's sake!"

"Oh you will see them alright! After we bang a hole in that skull of yours!"

"Listen here, dickhead! The only holes you will ever be able to bang are the ones that are in your donuts! OH SNAP!" Damn, that was savage. "Also, call the fire department cuz you are gonna need it! Too bad they won't save you from this!"

Braylon materialized his Mining Laser and started firing at the group of officers. By the way, do you know why it is called "Mining Laser"? It is because, silly, it is so powerful that it is used to _melt_ rocks and other hard stuff. So you can pretty much imagine the pain that those lazy-ass motherfuckers felt when they received the taste of that incendiary shots. Boy, did they burn. And danced! It looked like they were performing a ritual or some shit. Hell, one was trying to extinguish the flames by rolling on the ground. LOL!

Now Braylon had free access to the wooden door. He dematerialized his Mining Laser and went for his Bullpup shotgun.

Braylon was now in a hallway. Not straight hallway, mind you, but one with lots of places where he could perform an ambush. So Braylon waited behind the wall for the next soon-to-be-dead guy which was running towards his location from what he heard.

"One, two, three and BANG!" He said just in time when the guy's head popped up. You know the drill… but I have to say, that blood and brains on the wall looked something Rembrandt would do. What a piece of art!

Braylon proceeded forward and he had two options. Option one: go forward. Option two: clean whatever room is behind the door on his left. He went for option two. With a kick he opened the door and startled few officers. The first one went flying towards the opposite wall due to the blast. The second lost her whole right arm and half of her chest. When he fired the third time, the blast was so powerful that all the papers that were on the table started flying while the officer was thrown back into the filing cabinets. He also had a huge hole where his belly should have been. Before leaving, Braylon ate one donut that was left on the table.

He reloaded his shotgun and went for the door. As he got out on the hallway again, one bullet missed his face by inches. He quickly got back inside the room. Realizing that the only way to move forward was to kill a small group of SWAT officers that was blocking his path. They were a bit smarter since they had those fancy shields with them. But not even that wasn't enough for his next move.

He took out one grenade modified with Pandemic grenade mod and threw it at the group. Then the song started.

"Watch out!"

BOOM! SPLASH!

"AAAHH! HELP! AAAHHH!"

"MY EYES!"

"AAAAHHHH!"

Braylon waited for few minutes for the acid to disperse. After a while, he returned to the hall and the sight almost made him vomit. Let's just say it wasn't very pretty.

After passing the gross death show, Braylon now had two officers who literally pissed in their pants from fear. Braylon just groaned in annoyance and killed the first one by punching him in the midsection and then delivering a powerful uppercut that broke his neck. The other's head was simply smashed into the left part of the wall, making small cracks in the process.

Eventually he found yet another door to another side-room. In this room were four officers. He took the first one by surprise as he took her police baton, shove it down her throat and smashing her head into the wall. The second had his neck broken and used as a meat shield against the bullets of the last two. To stun the third, Braylon threw the meat shield at him so that his ass could fell on the ground. This gave him time to impale the fourth on a nearby flag pole. The third was killed with a classic bullet to the head with the Unforgiven revolver. A fifth guy came inside and tried to act like a hero. Braylon picked up a leg of a chair and tackled the moron on the ground. He then stabbed the police officer once. Then again. Then AGAIN. THEN AGAIN!

As he stabbed, blood sprayed all around the place, making a huge mess. His psychotic side enjoyed the violence and chaos he created. His wild side, his killer instinct became stronger and stronger as he fought his way through the department.

Again, he found two choices. Should he go to the right and move forward? Or should he take the stairs to the left? Why, of course! Take the stairs to the left!

The stairs led to the offices on the second floor. He peeked from behind his corner to check the safety. He immediately found a nobody with his iron pointed at him.

"Hands in the air, asshole! Drop on the ground-AAH!"

Braylon killed him with his Damned Cowboy assault rifle. A really cool gun, I might add. Oh crap, now all nearby doors opened and revealed pigs in blue with their guns! They started firing towards his direction. He hid behind the wall.

Exposing himself would be too risky. He had to find another way. Think, Braylon, think… yes! Time to use the second (and last) grenade. This one is modified with the Meganade grenade mod, and you will soon see why it is called Meganade.

When he threw the grenade, it suddenly started floating in the air and created a series of powerful singularities that sucked towards themselves _almost everything_ , just like a black hole, only to end in a powerful explosion which even managed to damage Braylon's shield (despite him being behind a wall). Needless to say, half of the floor was wrecked and in ruins. Only a door survived because it was out of the range of the explosion.

Thinking that he killed them all, Braylon lowered his gun and went out of his hiding place. Remember the door I mentioned earlier? Well, Braylon opened it out of curiosity. It revealed something out of the ordinary. It was an office, but it was transformed into a makeshift fortress built out of a table, few chairs, filing cabinets etc. There were five people behind it, the last resistance in the building. However, one of them was… interesting. It was a frickin' fat old fart with a cowboy hat, the stereotypical sheriff clothing, a cheap lever-action gun knockoff and even the ridiculous golden star badge. He was…

 **SHERIFF MENDOZA: 50% more donut, still a virgin**

Right, sorry about that. Anyways, the old wannabe shouted as soon as his eyes spotted Braylon.

"It's him! Get him boys!"

The young Vault hunter cursed as he jumped towards the nearby table and flipped it over to use it as cover.

The old fart fired a bullet but missed. "See you in hell, son."

"Absolutely!" Braylon agreed. "But you go first!" He added as he took aim and fired. The bullet penetrated the sheriff's throat. He fell on his knees as he started drowning in his own blood. The sheriff was dead. The remaining four were a joke. He killed them in less than three minutes. Time to find the jail cells.

( **AN:** Here you can stop the music.)

* * *

Braylon reached the section of the station where the cells are located. Only one door blocked him from killing those assassins. It was locked, so he needed to find the one responsible for guarding the cells. He came across a young man who had _dog ears_ on his head.

" _Christ, first a bunny girl and now a dog man._ " He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. The dog man saw this as an opportunity and slowly went for his gun when he was stopped by the Vault hunter with the barrel of the Excalibastard quickly pointed at him.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Braylon shouted as he took aim. "Man, this will turn your ass into a first-rate popsicle from thirty yards if you try anything stupid." He sighed. "Give me the keys."

"T-the keys are on the table…"

"Okay. This means you are no longer needed."

"P-please sir… I-I-I have a g-girlfriend and-"

BANG!

CRASH!

Sorry for interrupting the action but I just have to say this. How can a Skag-spit city like this have so many police officers? It's just a waste of public money. Thank god that he sent Braylon to deal with this issue. Just this one hour he spent inside the station he made the city save at least forty thousand dollars in salaries. The mayor should give him a golden medal for being a useful citizen.

The dog guy was right. He found the keys on the table near a plate with four donuts and some plastic money. Ah yes… donuts and money, the ruin of every policeman.

He opened the door and started searching for the assassins. Unfortunately for the other prisoners, he had to kill them so they wouldn't talk about him to the public. And here they were.

"Hello boys." He smirked. "Missed me?"

They paled when they heard his voice.

"How…"

"It was simple, really. Not a big deal for a Vault hunter."

"Pweaze!" The almost-toothless guy begged. "Don't kill us!"

"You should have thought about it before blowing up my cover at the academy. Now I have to thank you for this… in _my_ way."

Hunter grinned as he cracked his knuckles.

* * *

Braylon got out of the devastated police station. He felt so relaxed, as if a heavy bag has been taken away from his back. But karma never forgets.

He stopped walking and widened his eyes when he saw who was in front of him.

Do you know that toothy grin that a certain orange cat always makes when he fucks up something? Which is a dead giveaway that he was responsible for the destruction/dead pet/whatever? Braylon had that same smile now.

"I can explain."

* * *

 **AN: Hope you liked this chapter folks! How should they (you know who) react to the massacre that our badass main protagonist created? Post in the comments what you think and as always, stay tuned for the next chapter (which I have no idea when it will be posted). Now I have to go and enjoy my life, BYE BYE!**


	9. Complications

**AN: I have an important thing to say to you all. From now on you will be able to see which story will be updated next on my profile. Please remember that I will be able to update when I can. In other words, keep your pants on! Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**

 **You all gave me some interesting ideas. Unfortunately, I cannot kill Blake because she is one of the main characters. However, I took your comments and threw in something of mine and created a monster. It was a bitch to write this one. Write in the comments if you liked it or not.**

* * *

Let's talk about women.

Women are one of the biggest mysteries of the universe (right after Murphy's laws and Big Bang). Expert mindfuckers, these creatures have the ability to drop logic bombs which not only give a middle finger to science, but to every man ever! But there is one thing that makes this creature we call "woman" really (and I mean REALLY) dangerous: anger.

You see, when a woman is angry there is nothing that can help you. Bullets, God, explosions, logic… nothing will save you from her wrath. In such case, grow a pair of brass balls and pretend to care about what is she trying to say to you.

But you know what is worse than one angry woman? FOUR angry women. As will our Vault fella soon find out. Observe.

How should I put this? Their reactions are priceless. Blake was vomiting… _hard_. Wait, is that fish in there? Blegh, disgusting. Moving on!

Weiss just stared at him with that typical "I-am-pissed-at-you-and-you-cannot-do-anything-about-it" look. Seriously though, she is taking it the best out of all of them. You wanna see why? Then how about we see Yang?

The blonde completely lost her shit. First, her teammate (which she and others translate to "BFF"… somehow) did something which was the most unspeakable thing… EVER! And second, that was her bike! Her sweetheart! He used it as a battering ram for the raid! She was probably restraining herself from killing him, judging by her hands which are trembling constantly. Her crimson eyes stare at Braylon like a tiger at his soon-to-be lunch.

Out of all of them, it was Ruby who took it the worst. The poor girl's eyes became fountains of tears. She ran to him and started hitting him on the chest with her small hands.

"How could you?! How could you?! How could you?!" Ruby was constantly shouting. The scene was heartbreaking. Damn, even I am hurt.

But of course, how does the asshole react?

"What am I supposed to feel?" Braylon shrugs.

"You make me sick!" Weiss exclaimed while crossing her arms. "You are insane! You should go to jail!"

"Yeah… about that…" Braylon deadpanned.

After Blake stopped vomiting, she got up and joined the girls.

"Are you happy with what you have done?" She asked.

"Actually… yea. I am."

Blake widened her eyes in frustration. Was he serious? He was actually _happy_?

"You… you MONSTER!" Yang shouted. Braylon looked at her with his "are-you-fucking-kidding-me" stare.

"Seriously? Is that the best you came up with?"

Yang came close to him and slapped him. That was loud.

" _Maybe I should just shut up._ " He thought.

Ruby looked at him with her puppy dog eyes. Those teary puppy dog eyes. Shit, who the hell is cutting onions in here?!

"Why?" She whispered. "Why did you do this?"

"It was something that must have been done."

"Something that must have been done?! Killing innocent people is something that must have been done?!"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Yea…"

"Unbelievable!"

"What did you accomplished with this act?" Blake asked.

"Truth to be told, I had some unfinished business in there…"

"Unfinished business?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. And besides, I was bored."

Well, that was where they all drew a line.

"You were bored?!" Weiss asked.

"I am sure you had fun killing all those people." Blake sneered.

"As a matter of fact, I did. There is nothing better than give some lead to Donut Squad." He was more happy than he had any right to be. He was _laughing_ , which added more shock to the girls.

"Oh come on!" He whined. "You don't get a second chance for exterminating a whole police station! The feeling was priceless! WOOHOO!" He shouted and raised his arms in the air so that he could express his excitement.

"What is wrong with you?!" Yang put her hands on her hips. "Do you have any idea what you have done?!"

"…I took out the trash?"

Yang groaned and just turned around. She realized that talking with him would bring no change whatsoever.

"Which reminds me…" Braylon started. "… I need to check something before I-"

"You are not going anywhere." Ruby tried to sound like someone with authority.

"Oh yea?" He chuckled. "And who is gonna stop me?"

The girls reached their weapons.

"We will."

He scoffed. "Oh please, you are barely able to take down those monsters. Me? I killed stuff _way_ more dangerous." His voice turned cold and threatening. "Don't start shit with me. You _will_ regret it."

The two parties stared at each other, ready to respond to the other's first move. It was then when they heard the sound of metallic footsteps coming from a nearby street. The sound distracted the girls and gave Braylon an opportunity to get the hell out of there. He took it.

"He is running away!" Weiss shouted.

When Ruby heard this, she quickly used her magical powers to reach Braylon.

"Fuck off!" He shouted as he shoot a couple of hits at her direction with his Unforgiven, she dodged all of them.

" _Stupid soul magic bullshit._ " He mentally cursed as he ran into an alleyway.

Crap, a dead end. No, wait! There! The sewers! God, the stench! Faster, you moron!

CLANG!

" _HA! Nailed it!_ " He smiled.

Damn, it is so dark down here. But Braylon has a solution.

"Computer. Activate: Night Vision." He ordered.

 **Night Vision mode activated.**

And just like that, everything became visible as his eyes started glowing.

But the problem is… where should he go?

* * *

At Ozpin's office, the headmaster was sipping his coffe when suddenly he got a message.

 _Q: Looks like someone has been busy. Check the news._

Ozpin narrowed his eyes. He opened on the news channel.

The camera was focused on a large hole on the building of the police department. Below was written:

 _Massive attack at Vale Police Department. Researchers currently found 125 bodies. White Fang is the primary suspect of the attack._

Ozpin wrote a message.

 _O: I doubt it was White Fang._

 _Q: You think?_

Ozpin sighed. He knew he would soon get a call from one of his… colleagues.

* * *

RWBY of team RWBBY became concerned because they let a dangerous criminal escape. Of course, Ruby never thought that _maybe_ he used the sewers to escape. They also needed to hide, since they would probably be labeled as criminals for a crime they never did in the first place.

"You dolt! How did you let him get away?!"

"Hey I said I was sorry, princess!"

"Calm down, both of you. We need to find him before…" Blake trailed off.

"…before he kills again…" Ruby whispered sadly.

"Sorry you had to see all of that sis. If we find him I…"

"We need to find him first. And we need to do it fast." Ruby said authoritatively. "And once we do, he will finally have to answer our questions."

"Hey, I was wondering…" Blake started. "Don't you think he could have used the sewers to escape?"

The three looked at each other, then at Blake.

"Nah." They replied.

Blake sighed.

* * *

( **AN:** I recommend you to play the OST from Borderlands 2: Caustic Caverns Ambient, as a bonus for the atmosphere.)

The sewers turned out to be larger than Braylon thought. I mean, they are basically long tunnels connected to each other with a green and disgusting water running in the middle of them like a river.

The sewers are in very bad shape. The brick walls are covered in some kind of green moss that looks like a tumor, the pipes are old and rusty and the only animals to own it are rats that run left and right at every sound they hear. Every step makes a loud echo that expands itself to other areas. However, the disgusting river is surprisingly silent. All in all, if you want some kind of disease, just go down here. Braylon is now cursing his enhanced senses due to the smell. He released the contents of his stomach twice already.

There is a problem that rules them all. And it is, the sense of direction. All these tunnels look so confusing. He even thought that he had made a circle.

Of course, there was also another thing that was occupying his mind. How the fuck did they find him? He made sure to be as stealthy as possible. Could it be team JNPR? No, it must have been someone from his team. But who? She should be someone who has trouble sleeping at night, is really quiet, skilled in stealth… someone who makes herself invisible most of the times… someone who is a ninja… and someone who is named…

"Blake." He muttered angrily.

It was her, the whole time. How he didn't notice her was beyond him. Could it be her version of soul magic bullshit? Seems possible. He saw what Ruby was capable of. This also creates another problem: he is at a disadvantage should he fight them since he has no idea what are Blake, Yang and Weiss capable of. Of course, they bleed. And like every living thing that bleeds, they can die… but not now. He was sure that the massacre he caused was enough to gather the attention of _everybody_. Killing his teammates would put the finger on him.

Wait a second, what is that noise? Ah, it was nothing. Just a stupid rat squeaking at him for stepping on his lunch. Braylon just kicked him into the water with his leg and moved on.

Until he heard another noise.

It came from behind him and it was very far away. Like the squeaking of a rat, but _louder and more pissed_. And it ran towards him.

Holy fuck.

" _RUN!_ " He mentally yelled as he started running as fast as he could.

( **AN:** And here you can play the fighting music from Caustic Caverns)

It was a giant rat. Larger than others. The size of a car.

Even with the enhancements, Braylon was too much exhausted to fight. The massacre took too much energy from him. And there was no way in hell he would end up as a meal for a sewer rat.

It became too much… sooner or later he would fall down and it would be the end. No, he had to run! He just had to!

And then he came to a dead end. They only way to save his ass was to jump down in the depths of the large green river. And the fall from up here looks huge.

The squeaking came closer and closer.

He had no choice.

He jumped.

"YOLO!"

SPLASH!

* * *

 **AN: And here ends the chapter. Why? Because I am evil! MWAHAHA!**

 ***ahem***

 **Anyways, I wrote on my profile a X2. When you see that, it means that I will post a double chapter of that story. So yea, I decided to spoil you a bit. And yes, you will have to wait, as always. And for those who are wondering, this is still, what you would call, Volume 1 of the series (or the first season, if you like). Now I will leave you to the curse of addiction to take care of you. Remember kids, too much fanfiction can be addictive! Especially if it involves Vault Hunters!**

 **AND GREETINGS FROM TORGUE! *Sick guitar solo***


	10. Into the Depths

**AN: Hello! How are ya? Actually, don** **'** **t answer that cuz I give zero fucks. Anyways, I have to share this with you. You see, I had in mind to write a prequel to this fic which would be like the history of your favorite Vault Hunter. Of course, this prequel would start after the end of this series (because it would contain many spoilers which would then ruin this story). Basically, it would describe how and when Braylon became a Vault Hunter, how he met his friends and how he kicked ass. And yes, it would also describe one of the most important things that ever happened to Braylon: opening of the Vault. The story would be written in the same way as this fic (asshole characters + even-more-asshole narrator).**

 **But then I thought about something: what if the audience says no? So I will start a poll to determine the final answer. The poll will end at the end at 1** **st of January 2017. Why am I giving so much time? Well, should more audience gather in the future, it would be fair to give them a chance.**

 **And now, the comments.**

 **Guest: Huh… it was about time we learn at least something about her. Although, never judge a book by its cover. But you did give me an idea for a scene that will be comedy gold. So thanks for the comment.**

 **Phantom: I have mixed thoughts about this. The original idea was to find Braylon and bring him to Ozzy. But now I have no idea. Well I do have a chart for this chapter and quite possible the two next chapters (or one, depends on the length).**

 **MrTIBBS: About RWBY, I was planning to make them forgive him (even if partially… because they are good guys) but from when they find him they would have to keep an eye on him and be less friendly to him. The problem is, I have no idea how to do that one. There is the option of revealing his true identity to them (he will do that anyways sooner or later so this is not a spoiler, since his cover has been blown up). Which actually reminds me of something else which I will mention at the end of the chapter. About the Clockwork Orange rip-off, that is actually a good idea (the part where he kills him, the part about docks is currently in "I dunno" department). AND ONE WARNING TO ALL OF YOU FUCKERS OUT THERE: NEVER SAY TO BRAYLON HE IS A "MERCENARY" OR "MOTHERFUCKER" CUZ IF YOU DO, YOU MIGHT SAY YOUR PRAYERS BEFORE YOU END UP IN HELL WHERE THE DEMONS WILL SODOMIZE YOU WITH CACTUSES… AND YOU WILL BEG FOR SAND! WHICH MEANS YOU WILL PROBABLY DIE, BUT IT WILL STILL BE AWESOME! (joking)**

 **Frank: Oh he will fight Cinder all right… but not before doing "something" important (note that "something important" is a very relative term, depends on how you look at it). I swear, you will be in for a rare treat. For Raven, see other answers. And yet the problem lies with Ozzy and co. Honestly, I have no idea how to write their dialogue when it comes to Braylon. Truth to be told, every time I try to write their dialogue I honestly end up frustrated because I want to make their reactions (as well as that of RWBY) to be as close to the show as possible (in a sense that it actually fits their personalities).**

 **AND NOW FOR THE THING YOU ARE ALL WAITING FOR, START WITH THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

 _"Well, this is not what I had in mind when I said to kick some ass…"_

 _"Take the artifacts."_

 _"Hey! Hands off you pervert!"_

 _"What do you plan to do with those?"_

 _"Why, you still haven't figured it out? This is actually a surprise."_

 _"Cut the crap."_

 _"*chuckle* Has it ever occurred to you that what you had for all this time were… how should I put this… keys! Yes, that's the word! Keys!"_

 _"Keys? As the Vault Key?"_

 _"No, you imbecile. That thing is just a piece for the Lighthouse. Now this is real deal."_

 _"You have one too?!"_

 _"Of course. There are five of them after all."_

 _"And what will those things good for?"_

 _"God, this is irritating. Why don't you see for yourself?"_

 _CRA-CHUNK!_

 _VRRRRRR!_

 _THUD!_

 _"What… is that?"_

 _"That…"_

 _CRANK!_

 _"...is the purpose of this Vault! HAHAHAHA!"_

 _"Uh guys… I know this has been used before but… I have a_ bad _feeling about this…"_

* * *

GASP!

Braylon coughed as he quickly opened his eyes.

It took some time for him to get his shit together.

ACHOO!

Great. His clothes are all wet… and it smells like shit. Ugh. Stupid rat. Since when rats grow to that size?!

But more importantly, where the fuck was he? It seems like he was stranded by the river. But where he was stranded?

He rubbed his eyes and took a look around himself, only to realize he ended in a giant-ass cave. It is so huge that it rivals Caustic Caverns in size… only without Varkids and Threshers.

" _Okay… how the fuck did I ended in here?_ "

There was the green water… but now it is not a river. It is a fucking _sea_. Speaking of which…

He widened his eyes and checked for his equipment. Luckily, everything was on him and was still functional (good thing the Bee and PDA are waterproof). He sighed in relief.

You would think Braylon would be like "ZOMG what is this place?! WOW!". But you see, Braylon was a traveler and had seen lots of things, so a giant-ass cave was no big deal. The girls would probably be more surprised than him. Ah, women can be so easily amazed by the size of things.

And then he noticed something was… off.

He looked once more and he noticed some very interesting details.

For one, he saw piles of junk in the distance so big, that each pile looked like an island. However, the ground on which he was sitting was actual _dirt_ and not junk. There is also a giant robot… even if three quarters of its body are drowned in water. It seems broken.

Along with the robot, there are also giant gears, a large fossil of something huge (also drowned) and a fucking small meteorite glued in one of the walls. It looks like the meteorite _melted_ the wall so that it could glue itself inside. Kinda looks like a tumor.

But out of all these things, there is one that beats them all.

There are few oval shaped structures _floating_ in the fucking air. All of them are dark blue and are the same size. Some of them had small triangular openings (windows maybe?) from which a golden yellow light is emanating, as if something is glowing inside of them.

" _What the hell…_ "

This place is so weird. Most of the things in here look extremely _out of place_ , as if they don't belong here at all.

And to think that for once life would be easy…

* * *

Meanwhile, in a warehouse located in Vale, lots of people are transporting large crates labeled "SDC". No action was wasted, everything was as if robots did the whole job and not living beings.

One of them, however, smoke a cigar and watched the whole process. He was happy, for his "business" was blooming like flowers in spring. Since there are no cops to patrol the city, the heists were easier than ever. It would make his boss very happy.

"Hello Roman."

Oh crap. The boss is here.

He turned around and put a sheepish smile.

"Uh, oh hey boss. I… I didn't expect a visit. Hehe…"

"I see that you are doing quite well with the Dust transportation, am I correct?"

"Yes, boss. I…"

"And what about the _other_ job?"

"Oh… _that_. Um, we… failed to find him."

"I see…" The boss slowly approached the man. "Tell me, wouldn't it be quite unfortunate if you were to… have an accident, would it?" As the "boss" spoke, it created a fireball in the left hand.

The man took a step back.

"I-I… we don't know where he is! He might be anywhere!"

" _Find him._ " The boss threatened, the fireball became brighter. "You know a lowly thief life you wouldn't make it out of Vale safely. And even if you did, they would gun you down the moment they see you. I am giving you a chance here. Just, take care of the possible problem, and we will forget about this little incident." The "boss" made fireball disappear as it turned around and started walking away.

"Wait!" The man shouted. "How am I supposed to find him?!"

"Use your imagination." It coldly replied and went away.

* * *

At Beacon Academy things were not going well for the girls of team RWBBY. All of them lost their enthusiasm when they failed to find Braylon, their teammate.

"We must find him." Ruby said as sat on her bed.

"But he could be anywhere!" Weiss responded. "He could even be in another kingdom for all we know." She was walking from one side of the room to the other with her right hand on her chin.

Blake raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Isn't that a bit farfetched? I mean, he only escaped yesterday. There is no way he could get that far."

"I can't wait to find him." Yang cracked her knuckles. "I need to repay him for my bike." She punched the air in front of her a few times for emphasis.

"I just hope that Vale won't suffer because of that." Ruby's eyes started brimming with tears. "It was all my fault. I am not a good leader."

"Come on, sis. It is not your fault if he had done such atrocity."

"That murderer will get what he deserves." Weiss said as she sat on the chair.

"We still need to find him though." Ruby lowered her head.

* * *

( **AN:** For the atmosphere play "Radioactive sunrise" from Fallout 3)

Braylon decided that he would walk along the beach in order to explore the area in which he was trapped. Just for precaution, he materialized his Damned Cowboy and held it in hands. Living on Pandora for as long as he did (or more) makes you paranoid, and for good reason. Whenever it was quiet it meant a few things. Either someone was going to ambush you sooner or later, or there are animals/plants/whatever that will be extremely pissed off at you because you dared to step into its territory (which always ends in trying to kill you). But as he walked he noticed that there are no indications of human presence. No smoke, no houses, nothing. This could mean that he was probably the first human to ever find this place.

The out of place things he found weirded him out a lot. Especially those floating shits. What the hell are those?

Thinking that he would probably find out more information if he actually ventured deep into the island, Braylon decided to go into a random direction away from the beach.

The island is a fucking wasteland. There is black dirt everywhere. There are few giant rocks that serve as hills and few dead trees.

Just when he was about to give up, he found a lake. A _purple_ lake.

Giving zero fucks to the potential biological hazard, Braylon crouched and started drinking… only to quickly spit out as soon as it touched his mouth. What a dumbass.

" _Wait a minute…_ "

He moved his PDA closer to the purple water.

"Computer. Scan the liquid."

 **Scanning… scanning complete.**

When it finished, Braylon put the arm closer to his face. When he read the report, he whistled loudly.

Turns out that the purple water was no water to begin with.

It was Eridium.

It was then when he heard an inhuman growl not far away from him.

* * *

 **AN: And now on the thing I said I would write down here. I know this may sound weird but I will give it a try. I thought about giving Braylon a love interest… but only if it fits a purpose in the story. Making a romance without any reason to do so would look totally out of place. And no, it is not impossible for him to fall in love. Case in point: Roland and Lilith. Although yes, both are Vault Hunters and one of them is totally crazy. What do you guys think? Express yourself in the comments!**


	11. Interesting Discovery

**I have nothing smart to say so I will jump straight on comments.**

 **Guest: True, but bear in mind that this is STILL the volume 1 of the current series. Truth to be told, I am making this story up as I write the chapters. Yup, I have no plans on what should come next. Personally, I think writing that way is more fun (although I do have sort of plans for some of the more important scenes). Things might change as time goes on. Bear in mind that living on Pandora for years kinda makes you turn into a beast. Even the PCs are no exception. Those who are evil get to be more evil. Others simply try to survive.**

 **GrandMaster of Fiction: Thanks. I am happy when I see people showing interest in this fic. I have to say, out of the current three, this is the one I find fucking amazing. All thanks to you readers. And if you happen to have a suggestion or idea, feel free to PM or write in the comments and I will see what I can do.**

 **Phantom: Vault Hunter would wipe the floor with a Remnant Hunter. Sorry, but it is true and I have facts to prove it. So here we go:**

 **a) Aura. Aura is basically a bulletproof vest for defending its user. The problem is, if Aura drains too much, the user can fall unconscious. Shields from Borderlands do not have that weakness. Hell, the Shields are more useful than the Aura! Shield is depleted? No problem! It will recharge (and much faster than Aura). Not to mention the fact that while Aura is a good defensive measure, it is nothing like Shield. Why?**

 **Just take a look at all the known types of shields. Hunter is good ad CQC? Use a Spike shield. Hunter is immune to bullets? A Maylay shield will take care of that. Hunter uses elemental Dust bullets? Look! An Adaptive shield to remove that problem! Need a faster recharge rate because a Hunter is too fast? Booster shield! Hunter likes to rain bullets on your ass but you have no ammo to counter? Absorb shield coming right up! And who could forget the SPECIAL shields? Shields like The Rough Rider, Hoplite, Black Hole, The Bee, The Cradle, Asteroid Belt, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, Impaler, Big Boom Blaster etc. Basically, Shields are Aura + Semblance.**

 **b) Weapons. All Hunters use only one weapon. Meanwhile, a Vault Hunter has a weapon for every situation. Shotguns, Sniper rifles, Rocket Launchers etc. Again, a Borderlands weapon is more powerful than a Dust weapon. Why? Because each manufacturer adds something special to its weapons. For example, a Hyperion sniper rifle is basically OP in terms of aiming because it is extremely precise and it also HELPS you aim (trust me, in Borderlands, a Hyperion PISTOL was more precise than almost all of the sniper rifles of other corporations, except Atlas). If you want to deal heavy damage you can use a Jakobs or Torgue. One thing I learned from Torgue guns is that you should never trust the number written in "damage" section because that number is amplified by explosive element. If you need elemental damage, you can use a Maliwan and even here you have an advantage (there is no Corrosive or Slag Dust rounds). And even here you have unique guns that are basically too OP: Nukem, Hammer Buster, Tresspasser, Cobra etc. There are also the Seraph, E-tech weapons (which, to my opinion, is basically asking for trouble) and Laser weapons (something that is not present on Remnant).**

 **c) Other equipment. Vault Hunters are armed to the teeth. Quite literally I might add. Grenade mods, Oz kits, Eridian artifacts, Class mods… all of which add further power to a Vault Hunter. There are also Skills and "special powers" like automatic turrets, failed science projects that are now death machines, Siren powers, Aspis, gunzerking etc.**

 **d) Vault Hunters themselves. Bear in mind that Vault Hunters have faced countless of different enemies in their path (beasts, bandits, battalions, Guardians, robots, zombies) so they have an advantage there over the Hunters of Remnant (who train to fight the Grimm and not other entities). Pandora could be described basically as a training ground for a Vault Hunter because you have all the possible dangers you can imagine. Every animal there is extremely territorial (which means that it will attack you on sight) and extremely bullet resistant. According to wiki, Pandora is extremely rich in minerals. Most notably, the metals around the platinum series which would have a great influence on the fauna and its evolution. There is a possibility that even Iridium is metabolised by the fauna (Skags and Threshers are proof of that) which would also explain why the animals are so heavily armored against supersonic bullets (which would normally kill anything alive in less than five shots, depending on the gun you use). Also, look at the fauna itself. Their anatomy is simply fascinating. Why many of them have split jaws? Biological competition. Since food is scarce and competitors are deadly, each creature developed the ability to devour anything bigger than their own god damn head in one bite. Stalkers have organs that allows them to become invisible and to have a natural shield. But what I do not understand are Crystalisks. I have no fucking idea what those things are. To me, they look like literal walking rocks and nothing more. I mean, they do not bleed or seem to have any internal organs… I dunno. Anyway, you can see what am I trying to say here.**

 **God, that was long. Alright, enough with bullshit. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ruby sat on her bed, her mind constantly replaying the events that happened not so long ago. Her view on the world mixed with her ideals made Braylon's behavior too complex for the fifteen-year-old. Needless to say, she tried and tried to understand but it always ended in a failure to do so. This didn't go unnoticed by her sister, who tried her very best to help her as much as she could.

"Have you tried to contact him?" Blake asked.

She rolled her eyes when she realized that no one in the room had this idea before. Yang took her scroll.

"I'll do it." She said as she started typing. She still had a grudge for the man who dared to touch her bike.

* * *

He ran as much as he could. He spent too much ammo on those fuckers and they _still_ keep coming.

Well, what else would you expect from mutated sewer rats?

Braylon found a tube large enough to hide himself. He needed some time out. Contrary to popular belief, killing so many things in so little time can be very exhausting. Don't get me wrong, these things die faster than everything on Pandora. But fighting a giant army of them is such a pain.

His PDA buzzed. He got a message. He sighed.

 _Big Tits: Where the fuck are you? I still need to kick your ass. Come out of your hole!_

Fucking blondie. She really has no idea when to stop, does she?

 _Me: I would like to show myself but I am kinda busy right now. You know, fighting mutated rats and shit._

 _Big Tits: … Are you drunk?_

 _Me: You wish. Now fuck off._

 _Big Tits: Nice way to treat a lady, asshole._

He checked his PDA for the amount of ammo left. Rockets and grenades are gone (used the last ones in VPD). He had a shit-load of laser cells and a good amount of sniper rifle bullets. He started thinking about expanding his arsenal even more. More weapons equals more lethality. He started thinking about adding some modifications to his own guns so that they would be also able to deal damage in CQC. Just imagine, the Damned Cowboy capable of turning into a fucking spear or something. Or the Nukem turning into a hammer that causes nuclear explosions.

" _Nah. Guess I will stick around with my own weapons, thank you._ "

But seriously, he really needed to have a bigger arsenal. He used to have one before he got here. Wonder where those went.

Or better yet, what if he made his own damn weapons?

Now that is cool. He would think about it in more appropriate times. He already had an idea which was inspired by the Chimera.

Again? What is it this time?

 _Hitler Inc: Our leader is suffering because of you. Would you at least have the decency to show up and pay for the crimes you committed? Or give an apology to her?_

 _Me: You keep running that mouth of yours, shit better fall from it. Believe me, I try so much to see it all from your POV but I just cannot pull my head up my ass that much._

 _Hitler Inc: You know what? I am starting to think that the headmaster made a mistake when he took you into this academy. It thought it had standards._

 _Me: You wanna hear about mistakes? Go ask your father. He should have put his dick in the nettles so that his dick would hurt and not his conscience._

There, this should shut her up for good.

Right. Back at the troubles.

He could hear the sniffing of the creatures coming closer. He had to escape and this tube seemed to be the best idea. He rolled with it and went further into the darkness.

* * *

Ozpin managed to pull a few strings so that he could receive the recordings of the nearby cameras. Most of them showed the typical footage of people minding their own business. However, one of them had something interesting.

The footage in question showed a figure in a yellow bike parking the said vehicle near the bank. Few minutes later, the figure would go inside the bank, only to return back out and go for the bike. The bike ran a few circles and then crashed into the entrance of the building. But what was most interesting was the figure who pulled out two weapons seemingly out of nowhere. A technique that only one of the students in Beacon were capable of doing, according to the footage of the initiation.

And then, in the corner stood RWBY of team RWBBY. After a brief argument, they all decided to hide. Probably to ambush the attacker. After a while the attacker returned and was met with the four girls. What made Ozpin hum was the interesting interaction between the two parties, as the girl in red came closer and spoke something to the attacker.

Ozpin reached for his scroll and sent a message to one of his colleagues.

 _I think I found something interesting._

* * *

Braylon had no idea how much time he lost wandering through the pipe. He only knew that it was really fucking long.

At one point, he reached the end, which was blocked by a rusty grill. With a kick he broke it and finally went out. He had no idea where he ended up.

( **AN:** Use from Borderlands 2 the ambient music for Bloodshot Stronghold for additional atmosphere.)

He looked around and tried to find a clue which would tell him where he was. He obviously heard the echo of some kind of machines. The place was abandoned or so it seemed. He found an office which had a broken computer and rusty filing cabinets. Nothing useful in there.

After a lot of walking he found an interesting area. Some of the lights still worked so he could see what was inside of it. It looked like one of those fabrication centers where the automated workforce would be created. Most of the equipment was damaged and/or missing. This means that he was in some kind of manufacturing plant. But for what, he had no idea.

It quickly became apparent when he stood on a metallic bridge which was connected with others, thus making a shape of a hashtag. Below him stood seven cauldrons filled with that purple, glowing liquid.

He was in a refinery.

The Eridium he found in this place was the answer to the mutated wildlife. How it caused such reaction?

At the very end of the area he could see the wall completely broken along with a large portion of the roof. Two of the cauldrons were drowned in the water which was greenish-brown in color but only around the cauldrons as the rest of the sea in the distance was still green. The Eridium must have mixed with the water which was consumed by the animals.

He thinking was rudely interrupted when he heard the familiar growls nearby.

" _Son of a bitch. Again?_ " He sighed. " _These things are worse than those black freaks of nature._ "

One of them jumped right on the bridge few meters away from the Vault Hunter. It was a bipedal, fat, mutated and ugly motherfucker. He had large green growths on his body. Yea, it is disgusting. But the asshole was too smart for his own kind, for instead of attacking, he called his friends. The area was quickly surrounded by dozens of mutated rats, each with a unique mutation. Some slim, some fat, some tall, some short. The only thing they had in common was the hatred towards the intruder.

( **AN:** And now play the combat music from Bloodshot Stronghold.)

Braylon took his Mining Laser and started firing. He burned the fat one to a crisp and managed to hit few others as well. The survivors scattered and tried to avoid being hit. He started running while also trying to find a way out of this place. One of the rats jumped in front of him but quickly died as Braylon cut him horizontally with his Holo Sabre. The poor shmuck had no time to react and he was already dead. Like I said, easy to kill but a pain the ass.

He now reached the staircase that led somewhere on the upper levels. He smiled when he thought he had the advantage over them. When he looked down his smile quickly turned into a scowl when he saw the mutants _jumping from wall to wall_ to get to him faster. One of them jumped straight towards him. He failed to catch his prey when he got a bullet which exploded a large portion of his head. The body dropped all the way down with a loud thud.

He was now in some kind of stereotypical offices (which is, tables with computers divided by a small wall). He took a moment to regain some oxygen. Of course, the things were right behind him.

He pulled out his Bullpup and pulled the trigger. The pile of monstrosities quickly turned into a pile of minced meat as Braylon emptied the last magazine he had for his shotgun. He reached the door at the far end of the area and closed it behind him. After yet another set of stairs, he was now on the roof of the refinery.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

He now had the chance to enjoy the scenery that surrounded him: a fucking platform surrounded by the disgusting sea. He could see the island in the distance along with dozens of smaller ones. How big is this fucking place?

Just then he heard loud thumps few meters away from him. It was a Rat.

Now, if you like scouting old ruins scattered across Pandora, you will definitely encounter these creepy-ass bandits and Braylon was no exception. Mentally unstable and physically deformed, these bandits love to eat everything that is different from them (which includes humans). This guy wore a standard mining equipment which means he was probably some guy who worked as a miner back in the Dahl days. Instead of having the helmet, he had some kind of black cloth which covered most of his head. His upper body was ripped but also oozing with pus while his legs were small and malformed. There, in his right hand, was a buzzsaw (Pandora 101: if you see someone holding a buzzsaw, that person is a psychopath). His bloodshot eyes were locked on Braylon as he had a wide smile on his ugly face. Doubt he is a human anymore, so reasoning is already off the list. Which means that he had to fight.

"Meat…" It spoke as it got closer. "You… sssmell deliciousss! My ssstomach wantsss you!" He laughed maniacally.

"Oh boy…" He mumbled.

"Sssit back! Enjoy! Hehehe… Ol' Bill will make you… DINNER!" He said as he pointed his buzzsaw at Braylon, then started laughing uncontrollably.

"Bring it, ugly!" He shouted as he took out his Mining Laser.

( **AN:** And now for some change, play the OST from Dead Rising. The OST is the Steven bossfight theme. You know, the guy obsessed with his store. Enjoy.)

The Rat screeched as he started running towards Braylon, who set him on fire with his weapon.

"My Flesssh!" He shouted as he tackled the surprised Braylon who fell on his ass.

The motherfucker really did bring it. Damn.

A shadow made his head shot upwards. He quickly rolled to the side and thus avoided being cut in two by the buzzsaw. While it was true that shields block from damage, they really suck when it comes to blocking physical attacks. That buzzsaw would probably penetrate his shield and break his head. He needed to solve that problem as soon as possible.

"NO RUNNING!" The Rat shouted as he tried to pull his buzzsaw out of the ground. The bastard was still burning. Let's see how he deals with explosive shots.

Braylon took out his Chimera and fired at the Rat. The bullet exploded as soon as it touched his flesh. He was then electrocuted.

"AAARRRGH! WHO IS COOKING?!"

Fucking unbelievable. This is the problem with Bandits. Their damaged minds are so accustomed to pain that they need some really heavy damage to bring down. Hell, some even survive headshots. Those who do survive must be people who had a missing brain since their birth and therefore they feel nothing. Either that or they are Goliaths.

Braylon materialized his Holo Sabre but as he came closer, the Rat suddenly smacked him with Buzzsaw as if playing baseball. Braylon went flying right into a wall. His shield was depleted.

" _Fucking hell. Is this guy a Goliath in disguise?_ " He rubbed the back of his head. His vision went blurry but he could still see something coming close to him at high speed. "Fuck!" He shouted as he dodged the buzzsaw aimed at him.

"Stop fighting so hard!" He shouted as he ran towards Braylon like a fucking bull.

Braylon dodged again and the Rat smashed the wall with his fist. He shot with his Chimera once again. This time, the bullet covered the Rat in acid which slowly burned his skin.

"THE GOO IS KILLING MEE!" He screamed as he waved violently with his hands in a desperate attempt to shake the acid off himself. Too bad it pierced through the clothing and melted large chunks of meat from his abdomen, leaving green holes in the body.

Braylon materialized his Holo Claw and stabbed the Rat into his back. The weapon easily tore through the meat and on the other side. Braylon then pulled back his Claw and with it, the mutant, thus throwing him off balance and make him fall on his mutated ass. Time to give this bandit the taste of his own medicine.

He took out the stuck buzzsaw and held it in his hands while the Rat got on his feet.

"Now you pissssed me off!" He hissed.

"Fuck you!"

With a swing, Braylon cut the Rat on his abdomen with a horizontal slash.

"My intesssstinesss!" He screamed as he desperately tried to hold his innards inside himself. Braylon got behind the Rat and kicked one of his legs, forcing the mutant to kneel. Time to deliver a finishing blow.

Braylon activated the buzzsaw. The blade started spinning.

With all his might, Braylon raised the buzzsaw and smashed it right into the head of the Rat, cracking his tough-ass skull in the process. The spinning blade buried itself deeper into the head as it continued spinning. The Rat bandit screamed for the final time.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

"Killed… by a dumbass…" The bandit exclaimed as his corpse fell on the ground. The pool of blood quickly surrounded the dead body. Braylon sighed.

"Man, I _really_ need to find a way out of this place."

Wait, if this is a platform… this means that there must be boats in the docking area. It could be worth a try.

And with that in mind, he started walking his way into the building in search for his only way of salvation. Before he could open the door he stopped, as he could swear he heard the sound of metal bending loudly followed by a loud booming noise.

He then realized that the building was slowly collapsing.

* * *

 **AN: Turns out I do have something smart to say. So listen up! I decided to be nice and to spoil my readers a bit. This whole last month of the old year will be dedicated to this story only! WOOHOO! This means at least two more chapters (if not more) and lots of action!**

 **Anyways, thanks for still having interest in this story. So I for fun decided to give you a sneak peek at the PDA. More specifically, some of the implants that come with it. Note that the PDA has** _**much more**_ **applications, implants and whatnot than those that I will mention. It is the reason why there are rare, after all.**

 **PDA:**

 **Y-017 Monocyte Breeder** – Good news! Now you can give a middle finger to Zed and his shady shit he passes for „medicine" with **Y-017 Monocyte Breeder**! This implant is designed to cure every physical injury you might get during your adventures. Be careful, for the implant will take some time to heal the wounds (depending on the damage).

 **B-015 Subdermal Armor** \- Do you wanna have a protective armor WITHOUT having the armor on yourself? Now you can! **B-015 Subdermal Armor** makes your skin tougher and more resistant to damage. And no, you are not Superman. Just some guy with a harder skin.

 **C-066 Thermal Adaptor** – Do you know what is worse than taking a bullet? Taking a bullet that might give you third degree burns or a bad case of hypothermia. Get rid of this inconvenience by installing this implant, because from now on you have more resistance to Cryo and Incendiary damage.

 **A-045 Cationic Insulator** \- Make Tesla roll in his grave with this awesome implant! Any shield you equip will automatically grant you high resistance to shock damage! No shields? No problem! It also works on your body! You thought we would let you down, didnt you?

 **X-077 Hazmat Protection Agent** – I know right? That acid is melting the fuck outta your body, right? Not anymore! Thanks to this implant you are more resistant to corrosive attacks that would otherwise melt your face off! (Idiot, this does not mean you can jump into an acid pool)

 **Holographic weapon maker** – I am sure you are thinking „wouldnt it be nice if this magical piece of tech can turn into a weapon to save your sorry ass?". We have a solution! The HWM is able to materialize hunderds of useful tools to make it easy to adapt your lazy ass to any situation! (Warrning: each tool app must be unlocked manually)

 **O-012 Reflex Booster** – Be more deadlier in combat with **O-12 Reflex Booster** , as this bad boy will automatically enhance your agility to superhuman degree!

 **L-090 L.O.G.I.C** – Wanna be smarter than Einstein or any other known scientist? Sure, why not?! Install this implant and you will soon find out that even the hardest of equations will be a piece of cake for you to solve!

 **P-033 Perception Enhancer** – This implant greatly increases your five senses! Eyes of an eagle, ears of a bat, nose of an elephant (for real, did you see their ability to sniff out molecules that other animals can miss?) and much more! What are you waiting for?! Install this implant today for a better tomorrow!

 **D-019 Digestive Filtration System** – Purify the things you put in your stomach with this implant! From now on, everything that makes its way into your belly will be automatically cleaned from anything that could potentially harm your body. So yes, you can drink as much as you want, be drunk as fuck, and still have a liver! Amazing!

 **K-689 Nutrition Booster** – Get this, for this day onward, not only the food you digest will be more healthy (due to special enzymes which will increase the quality of everything that goes into your blood) but it will also give you the ability to reduce greatly your hunger just by taking a small bite! Useful when there is shortage of food! SCIENCE!


	12. Under the sea

**You know, now I realized something. Just in case I should ever make a pairing, I made a poll to let you decide who would pair with Braylon, if there will be any. Please note that it will not happen soon but as time goes on… probably. It really depends on whether or not he will stop being a fucking douchebag. So here it goes (IMPORTANT: if you have a better name for the ship, I strongly suggest you PM it to me… please!):**

 **a) Vault Rose – Ruby and Braylon.**

 **b) Eridian Flame – Yang and Braylon.**

 **c) Shadow Hunter – Blake and Braylon.**

 **d) Frozen Sentinel – Weiss and Braylon.**

 **e) Someone else (PM to me who)**

 **f) No ships**

 **I NEED your feedback on each of the ships. Personally, I think that Braylon and Weiss is just a no-no. Mostly because… you know… Pandora and corporations do not mix well. And since Braylon is born on Pandora… you get the point. Braylon and Blake could be together… if he would respect her as a Faunus and not label her as a "mutie" (that is when he finds out… if he lives long enough) but then again… I dunno. Write in the comments what do you think about each of them.**

 **I ALSO REMIND YOU TO VOTE THE OTHER POLL ON MY PROFILE. TIME IS RUNNING OUT.**

 **TheRedHood1999: Thanks for checking out my story, you badass motherfucker!**

 **Lq840i: Unfortunately, I already planned already which weapons he will get. I will tell you just this: there will be six new additions (3 SMGs, 1 Sniper Rifle, 1 Pistol and one custom made). Hope you will like it.**

* * *

( **AN:** Play the music "Inside Clank" from Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters for better atmosphere.)

" _This is_ so _not good."_ Braylon thought as he ran across a hall. He knew he had to find a way to escape this soon-to-be metallic death trap. All he ever needed was to reach the docks of the platform, where (hopefully) there would be vehicles he could use to save himself.

Of course, it would be much easier if those FUCKING mutants weren't chasing him. He dodged a swipe aimed for his head and shoot the attacker right in the head. If only he had more time…

Or not, as the building started shaking violently and falling apart. The floor behind him started cracking and falling down in god-knows-what depths. He had no desire to check that out.

The floor was falling quicker than he thought. He would make the same end as those rat bastards if he didn't jump at the least minute so that he could grab a small ledge. He sighed.

" _That was close_."

After a while he reached the door he would already pass if the floor remained in pristine condition.

Right there, on the left wall, was a scheme of the whole platform. He was close to the docks.

The building shook again.

" _Right. No time to loose._ "

After thirty minutes of killing mutants and running, he eventually managed to find the docks.

And there it was, a small yellow submarine. A plan B should things go south. How convenient!

He heard growls in the distance. A sign that he had to move his ass.

He entered the submarine and closed it from the outside world.

He saw a pair of mutants looking at his direction.

"Come on, tin can! Work dammit!" He started pressing buttons violently.

VRRRRRR!

"Fuck yea!" He shouted as the submarine slowly started submerging into the water. Before he disappeared completely, he gave a middle finger to the _really_ close mutants.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

* * *

He didn't bother with looking back. He knew that the platform collapsed minutes after he got out of it. But you know what they say, every solution causes new problems.

"…Now what?" He murmured. He had no idea where to go now. Luckily, he found an easy way to solve that problem. The same method he used back in the forest.

"…Fuck it, straight ahead it is…"

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The random selection is always the best. If you are willing to die that is.

Surprisingly, the water was clear and you could easily see in front of you, albeit the view was far from pleasant, for Braylon would occasionally see floating turds and other disgusting stuff. He wanted out of this place so badly.

…And then what? The girls are probably chasing him down. As always, it would be a "shoot first, ask later" situation. Fuck, maybe even Ozzy is into the manhunt, right? He would try to explain his problems but a wall would probably understand better. The girls were teenagers, after all. Yes, I recognized the irony in that statement. But hey, Pandora gives no fucks about childhood, white knights and all that sweet shit. Most of the planet is a fucking wasteland, after all. *****

This was one of those times when Braylon seriously thought about retirement. You heard me right, this guy sometimes had the wish to retire. Come on, he pulled that damn trigger far too many times. A cowboy once defined him as a "kid who has on his face the look of someone who has far too many people on his conscience"…not that Braylon had any. And I may be repeating myself but Pandora is definitely not a place for kids. Or anyone sane, for that matter. I have yet to find out a man or woman who lives on that planet who didn't pull the trigger at least once. Bonus points for killing. Either you live in a settlement built from junk with a shitty wall as a protection, or you join one of the many bandit groups that make most of the population.

Seriously though, Braylon had seen and done it all: the good, the bad and the ugly. And you _don_ _'t_ want me to get started on the ugly part. He and the remaining trio made what older generations never did. From travelling to other planets to stopping the possible end of the galaxy by dealing with a failed genetic experiment that was supposed to be the "ultimate pet". All in the name of the Vault Hunter career.

And what it gave him in return? PTSD, more chances to meet the Grim Reaper face to face than he actually wanted to, a rough childhood and a metric fuckton of cash to cut of his balls and serve them on a silver platter, if the two attempted assassinations on this planet are any proof.

And yet there were a lot of good times and things. Guns, shooting stuff, guns, crazy adventures, guns, his friends (more colleagues than friends really)… _guns_.

Yep. Done it all. Can't remember most of it.

And now _this_. The cesspool of the galaxy, Remnant. A planet where kids train to be a fucking bunch of white knights ready to throw their life should someone ask for it. How Remnant is not property of a corporation is beyond me. This planet is not a place for a Vault Hunter. I mean, you wipe out a police station and suddenly everyone goes apeshit! On Pandora it would be a holiday. On Promethia… well, they cannot afford to have police departments to begin with.

He also needed money, and badly. You easily spend two million dollars in a few hours on Pandora than a month in Las Vegas. Fucking Marcus and his god-damn "business". I swear, the guy needs to wear a three-piece suit, a cylindrical hat and a cane and he would be a fucking real life version of Monopoly Man.

Uh oh. Guess it is time to stop thinking and – OH MY GOD, WHAT THE FUCK?!

That is the biggest squid I have ever seen. The thing is the size of a car!

" _Too bad it is about to eat bullets!_ " Braylon thought as he activated the minigun of the submarine.

( **AN:** And now raise that volume, because it is time for one of the most awesome soundtracks in games ever! Directly from "Metal Slug 5", the OST called "Bottom of the Sea". Enjoy!)

As the minigun started vomiting bullets, huge chunks of meat were being ripped away from the giant animal, as its blood now hid the remains from view.

Two more on the left.

One went down rather easily. The other was a bit trickier than its dead comrades. But what is this? Torpedoes? Aw fuck yea!

Braylon smiled as he pushed a button. One torpedo was thrown into the water and was now aiming itself for the squid. The explosion, albeit awesome, was muffled by the water.

Area clear. Moving forward.

Another threat. This time, a giant-ass jellyfish. It wrapped its slimy tentacles around the submarine. It clearly tries to swallow the vehicle. The moron probably thinks it is a fish or something. Well, too fucking bad. The minigun shredded the beast into tiny pieces.

It is becoming crowded in here, better get moving and trying to find a way out.

And there it was, a large hole. Probably an underwater cave. There is no other way.

But before he could enter, a giant crab blocked the path. Another torpedo was fired into the water. Needless to say, the creature burst like a water balloon when you pop it with a needle.

It is really dark in here. Luckily, the submarine has lights that turn on automatically, thus making Braylon's life easier. Until his path was blocked. _Again_.

Surprisingly, it is not an animal. Or anything organic for that matter. It is a submarine. Bigger than the one he currently uses. It is completely destroyed, but its metallic corpse is still a pain.

Then a round object popped out of it.

" _Oh shit! That is a mine!_ "

Then another.

He soon realized that while the vehicle may be destroyed, its defensive functions may still be activated. Case in point, the proximity mine generator that is now shitting out floating explosives powerful enough to blast the Vault Hunter's ass to hell. It needs to be taken care of. And fast.

He fired with the minigun at the mines, hoping that the explosion would make enough space for him to pass through.

What do you know. Turns out he was right. Never thought I would see the day.

Now the cave was going upwards. Could it be a way out?

The water seems to be less green than before.

Fifteen minutes later, he reached the end of the cave and was now in…

Where exactly is he?

The water is blue. That is a good sign.

He shrugged and went to the east.

Everything was relatively calm until a large shadow obstructed his view. He looked up and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

A giant boat.

A sane mind would definitely NOT shoot the boat down. But then again, you forgot that this is Braylon we are talking about. So of course he would shoot a torpedo at the vehicle. He didn't get the reaction he wanted. He got a better one.

BOOOM!

I am no expert, but I think that a boat shouldn't explode so violently that a fucking shockwave would blast the sea itself. _Damn_. It was loud too.

After yelling how awesome it was, he went forward. He never realized that what he sunk was a boat filled with a shitload of Dust that was supposed to be shipped to a certain criminal organization…

I know. Braylon is a natural when it comes to falling neck-deep into shit.

Yet another underwater cave. This one seems shorter and devoid of danger. A nice change.

The submarine now emerged from the water. It seems that from this point onward, he had to go on foot.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

He thanked the vehicle who helped him escape and moved towards the exit. He would finally see the sun again!

* * *

And it was nighttime. Perfect.

Did I mention he was now in the middle of a forest? For a second fucking time?

He cursed as he kicked the dirt. Now he needed to find a way back towards civilization.

" _Better get started then._ "

A quick look at his surroundings gave him the info he needed. He was on a hill but this doesn't look like that damn forest from the initiation. Thank God.

And just when he was about to give up and find a place to sleep… there it was.

Down there was a camp. Looks like one of those terrorist training camps. He had to investigate.

" _Well,_ _guess I won_ _'t_ _retire any time soon._ " He sighed as he tried to find a way that would lead him to the camp without trouble.

And then a pack of Beowolves jumped out of the bushes.

* * *

 ***: I have no idea how geography works on Pandora. In BO and BO2 both games happen to be on the coasts (one of the eastern and the other on the northwest). What is making me most confused is the whole layout of BO2. In the first game, it is stated that the whole planet is basically a giant desert (which can be verified in TPS when you look at the planet from Elpis or Helios). However, not only you have volcanoes, oasis and whatnot in BO2 but you actually have a the fucking highlands. To be honest, the whole level that takes place in the area known as "Highlands" (Wildlife Preserve and so on) to me looks like nothing more than oasis. It also seems there were oceans before they went kaput (judging by boats you find in the first game and in Captain Scarlett DLC). If you happen to know something about this, please write it in the comments.**

* * *

 **AN: This whole "underground cave system with out of place things" took more chapters than I expected it would. Of course, I could go on and write a 4000 words chapter but then I have the feeling it would loose its… touch.**

 **I also found out that I am fucking scared. Scared that I won't** **fuck something up in the story as I go on. Turns out that improvising plot brings a lot of risks with it. Oh well, what is life without a bit of danger?**

 **But here is a disturbing thought that dropped on my head as I was writing this chapter. In Volume 4 of RWBY you get to see a portrait of the whole Schnee family. What am I saying is, isn't** **it too convenient that both parents** _ **just happen to have the same eye color and same hair color**_ **? In a world where other unnatural colors are common (like blue hair or purple eyes)? And how to explain that ALL THREE children have the same color on themselves? Yang should not have blonde hair and pruple eyes when only one of her parents has that color. My best guess is that genetics has no fucking meaning on Remnant, just like the laws of physics. Even with the Aura those crazy acrobatics should not happen. What we have close to Aura IRL is meditation other such practices. Still, one does not become a Super Saiyan just because he/she happens to channel his spiritual energy or whatever. Do you realize what this means? It means that Aura is a force stronger than the four fundamental forces of the universe which is also capable of bending them to ridiculous amounts (basically what a Semblance is). What am I saying is, Braylon would pass the mic to someone else but he had not stopped scoring points against Weiss if you know what am I saying. You know what? I think it is best to leave the judgement to you guys. Thanks for having interest into this story!**


	13. Important stuff about the poll!

**Hi to you all. I have something important to say.**

 **It seems that there can only be one poll at the time. So I decided that on my profile will be the one poll about crossover. When it is closed, I will be able to add the poll about ships. So far here are the results:**

 **Shadow Hunter - 1**

 **Vault Rose – 2**

 **Others – 0**

 **Keep in mind that you if you still want to vote on this poll then just PM me which one do you prefer and I will write the score at the end of the future chapters.**

 **Almost forgot, this poll will be closed somewhere in January of 2017. It will last longer due to the second poll (the one about crossover) being more relevant as for now.**

 **And yes, I will still continue to post. In fact, the next chapter should be soon.**


	14. Into the Night

**It just so happens that I was wondering about something. I wonder if TFTB is canon. Because if it is, then the guy (forgot his name) who worked for Hyperion became the new chairman of the Atlas. It is mentioned that Hyperion managed to buy ALL of Atlas for a ridiculously small price after it went bankrupt. In the first game, the Knoxx DLC, it is mentioned that blowing up the armory would be enough to send the whole corporation into the bankruptcy train (and finally leave Pandora). But to me this sounds stupid. You would think that a corporation so powerful such as Atlas with so much money (that is even capable of having a personal army) would not even feel the damage caused by the destroyed armory, but then I get a reminder of the five year old admiral. So, either the corporations are not as powerful as they claim to be (even if in B2 and TPS you clearly see the power Hyperion has) or there is something more going on that it meets the eye.**

 **But anyways, why I brought up the TFTB? Because if it is canon, then it means Atlas is back in the game! Which means It will probably be back in Borderlands 3! AW FUCK YEA!**

 **Seriously, I remember the two very first attempts of the first game. It was so fucking hard to find an Atlas (even more so than Hyperion, which in the first game is** _ **really**_ **rare) but it was totally worth it. I remember finding an Atlas machine gun and a sniper rifle. They were so good that I kept them with me for a third of the game! It was so OP mostly because I had the habit of looking only for the strength of the weapon and ignore other things (and because I played as Roland both times because it goes well with my type of playing. Which is, adding skills that either deal more damage or expand my shields). The firing rate, power, ammo capacity, reload speed… ALL OF IT was perfect! But then again, nothing helped me tearing through hordes of enemies like a good old Jakobs shotgun, although their sniper rifles were complete shit. But just imagine, NEW Atlas guns in B3 PLUS the possibility of having Laser Weapons! Yup, hell on Earth indeed. So hyped for it.**

 **Phantom: If the info we got at the End of the Volume 3 Is true, then the "Silver Eyed Warriors" are excellent fighters… in killing Grimm. You keep forgetting that their home is Remnant, where there is either good guys (who do not kill) and the bad guys (who do the bad shit). And either if they do, what could such a warrior do against a Siren? A human who is capable of going through dimensions, thus becoming completely invulnerable to any effect (Lilith and her Phasewalk), or having complete control over machines (Phaseshift)? Maya can make someone completely useless with her abilities (Phaselock). Not only that, if you played BO2 you were able to see to what extent Lilith was capable of upgrading her powers with Eridium (imagine what Maya could do with it). But then again, we still have no idea what are those warriors capable of because nothing is revealed about them, except the basics. But I doubt they would kill someone if they are good guys cuz of morality and shit.**

 **Captain Cranch: She could change him but there is a problem. Did you realize that** _ **none**_ **of the Vault Hunters are good guys (except Roland)? Lilith is a power-obsessed siren, Brick is a psycho, Mordecai a drunkard with a bird, Axton an ex-soldier with an overdeveloped ego (who wants to find the Vault so that he can be famous), Zer0 is an assassin who wants the Vault for a challenge, Wilhelm is a mercenary who was only in it for the money and Nisha a woman who wanted "fun" (by killing stuff and inflicting pain). And being on a wasteland planet makes it even worse. Braylon is a natural born Pandorian, a planet where dying is so common that no relative expresses grief when a family member dies. It is a shitty place, is all I am saying. Meanwhile, Hunters are optimistic hero wannabes who specialize in military version of pest control. Ruby is basically Don Quijote of Remnant. The whole stuff about heroic tales hit her in the head so much that she thinks she can be a hero.** _ **Which is why she became a Huntress in the first place.**_ **Imagine what would happen if someone like her (an idealist with a narrative) finds out that her wishful thinking/fantasy world is not exactly the truth? Either breaks down or closes in an echo chamber. And thanks to the training/indoctrination, Ruby is a time bomb ready to go off at any second now.**

 **In short, Braylon will never be able to completely integrate into Remnant society. He will never be fully compatible with his team and will never change completely. Years of Vault Hunting will make sure of that. For what Hunters find the idea of killing someone almost unspeakable, to Braylon it is as normal as breathing. That and many other things (like lie, cheat, steal, loot corpses…). Ruby will always be a hero. She will always try to help people in need. However, Pandora… Ain** **'t** **no place for a hero to call home.**

* * *

In all honesty, these Grimm creatures are fucking pathetic. But not as much as the self-proclaimed "Hunters". Jesus, if they need guns to take down these guys than I am totally allowed to say that there is no hope for these fellas.

Speaking of Grimm, do you find it ironic that these humanoid wolves are called almost exactly as a _certain mythical hero who just so happens to be a slayer of a monster_? You know what am I talking about.

"They never learn, do they?" Braylon murmured as he cracked his knuckles. He then sighed. "Listen up."

The Beowolves growled.

"I am _so_ tired of your shit. So here is the plan: you let me pass and I promise it will be just like sleeping. I _promise_."

The largest one stepped forward and waved with his left hand. Must be the leader.

"I thought so." He sighed. "Do what you want. Your funeral."

( **AN:** Play "Crazy", the OST from MadWorld.)

Using ammo on them would be a waste. So he decided to use the fists instead. And his holographic weapons.

One of the Beowolves jumped straight at Braylon, only to impale itself at the Sabre which was materialized just in time. He dematerialized his weapon again and the corpse fell on the ground.

The beast on the right lifted its right arm and tried to punch him. To counter, Braylon decided to punch the black fist with his own. The furred hand made a sickening crack as the Grimm whined in pain. Braylon then used the same fist to rip a hole through his chest. Seconds later, he pulled the hand out, all covered in blood. In it, there was the heart of the beast. He squished it so hard that it exploded.

Another one was lifted up in the air and ripped in two in the most nonchalant manner I have ever seen.

Braylon dodged a swipe aimed for his back and tackled the responsible. He then kept smashing his fists at the masked freak. He beat the head until it became a bloody pulp.

The smallest of the bunch tried to do some shit. Our Vault Hunter kicked it in the midsection and then pierced the eyes with his thumbs as he placed his hands on the opposite end of the skull. By adding a little more strength, he squished and cracked the skull between his hands. Ugh, the pieces of the brain and bones are on his hands.

Yet another Beowolf was grabbed by the throat and thrown on the ground. This time though, Braylon made sure that his victim stood on the ground thanks to his leg which was pressed against its back. He then ripped off both arms of the Beowolf, who screamed as blood flew everywhere.

"The fuck are you looking at?!" Braylon asked rhetorically the largest one. He quickly ran towards it, grabbed it by the head and pulled it down. His left knee hit several times the Grimm's abdomen before throwing it on the ground and ending its life by smashing the head with his leg, as if trying to kill a bug.

The last Beowolf's arm was ripped off. Poor guy fell on its knees and started screaming while looking at its missing limb. Braylon quickly shouted it forever when he swung the arm as a goddamn baseball bat right into the thing's head, which was ripped off the body and flew like a baseball into the woods. He laughed.

"Fuck yea! Tiger Woods can suck it!"

Uh-oh. Looks like the reinforcements came. And in the shape of a large bear nonetheless. Of course, it has black fur and a white mask. Another subspecies?

Oh who gives a fuck. It is already dead as Braylon grabbed the mouth of the thingy and forced it to open (thus dislocating its jaw) and shoved his left hand inside the mouth as much as he could. He made more fatal damage when his PDA shot Holo Sawblades further inside the body, which shredded most of the important organs. He pulled his hand out.

Braylon now started running through the woods and towards the camp.

Some minutes later yet another thing jumped in front of him and-

…Is that Harambe?

Looks like it. No, wait. It is just a demented cousin of his, which also happens to be Grimm-ified. And _really_ pissed off.

The thing roared loudly and punched its abdomen. Probably trying to intimidate Braylon.

In an amazingly small time period, the creature jumped towards Braylon and delivered a heavy punch to the moron's face (who did nothing to stop it, probably because he thought it was Harambe) who flew into a tree.

The idiot, instead of being more aware of the combat situation, was wide eyed as he touched his face.

"…I just got punched by Harambe…" he muttered in disbelief. He failed to notice that Harambe is dead for a lot of time.

He got up, now pissed off.

"You _punched_ me."

The Grimm roared again.

"Shit, I thought you are cool! And now I will always be remembered as the guy who caused the death of Harambe. _I so need a drink now._ " He sighed in frustration.

"Anyways, Harambe or not, you just signed your death sentence pal."

The Harambe lookalike cocked back its right fist but Braylon Stabbed the arm with his Holo Sabre and pulled it closer to him. He quickly jumped at the side as it fell on the ground. He stomped the previously stabbed arm and put it into a headlock with his right hand while stabbing the cranium with the left. The stabbing proved to be a bit more difficult, as he needed to stab several times to finally make a decent hole. Meanwhile the creature screamed and tried desperately to grab the puny human with its free hand, but failed every time. He nailed his Sabre one last time into the skull and slowly cracked it open, revealing the brain. And there it was, the corpse fell on the ground with a loud thud.

Another problem that has been taken care of.

* * *

He finally got closer to the camp. It was surrounded by walls so the only way in was to climb them. The stealthy approach is always the best bet.

But before doing so, he hid near a bush and listened a conversation of two nameless mooks who stood near a campfire outside of the camp. There is also an armored vehicle nearby. Must be for transportation of something very important.

"Hey, you heard the news?"

"About the massacre? Yeah."

"Wonder who did that."

"Whoever it was, it surely had a pair of cubed balls."

"Do you think he… or she… could cause us trouble?"

"It is a he… and have you seen this place? It is in the middle of nowhere. Doubt he would find it."

"How the hell do you know it is a he?"

"The boss. How he got that is anyone's guess."

"But… those corpses… ugh…"

"Suck it up, pussy!"

One of them vomited.

"Dust damit! Not on the shoes! Ugh!"

"I am sorry!"

"Whatever! Just get to the damn van!"

Time to strike.

* * *

 **Mwahaha! I am so evil! Yes, you will need to wait for the next chapter to see the outcome! Also, prepare for another massacre!**

 **Another thing, I decided to take this story on a whole new level. I think it should get a page (or at least mentioned) in Tv Tropes. But to do this, I will need all your support. So smash the shit outta that "favorite" button and be sure to comment as always! The army is getting bigger and bigger! AWESOME!**

 **As always, thanks for reading the fic and I hope you enjoyed it so far!**

 **Almost forgot! Here are the Poll results for now.**

 **Vault Rose - 4**

 **Shadow Hunter – 1**

 **Other ships – nothing**

 **TOODLES!**


	15. Failure

**Straight to the comments!**

 **Guest: Well, I guess the logic is the "only two years of difference". That or could be the fact that people really want to see how this ship is going to become a reality. The problem is, I have no fucking idea how to do that. Two people with two different ideologies and shit. Oh well… more work for me. Yay.**

 **Zentari2238: Funny coming from a guy who never bothered to write in the first place. But thanks for the feedback anyways. It just makes my fic more popular.**

 **Guest: Everything is possible. But I need to apologize to the Weiss fans out there about it, before I start getting death threats and other things.**

* * *

One of them reached the van while the other stared at the campfire. Braylon materialized his Holo Sabre and made a silent sprint towards him. He placed his right hand on the surprised bad guy's mouth and stabbed him in the back. The holographic weapon went completely through him, as if he was impaled on it.

He let the body hit the floor as he ran towards the other guy who, unfortunately, turned around at the wrong time. Braylon knocked him out with an uppercut. He would then use a rope to tie him, making any possibilities of escape near nonexistent. Braylon placed the unconscious man in the back of the van and closed the door. He would have a chat with him after he finished his primary objective.

If the masks are any indication, then this guys must be that "White Fang" group. Never mind the fact that the name was completely ripped off from a literary work.

Time to start.

( **AN:** Play "Paris" from M.O.O.N.)

Braylon effortlessly climbed on the wall. One of the guards was below him, unaware of the intruder.

Braylon materialized the Holo Sabre and jumped down on the guard. When the two collided, Braylon stabbed the guard as they were falling, killing him instantly. He hid the body in a nearby dumpster.

He had no idea how many of them were in this place nor did he wanted to. But making some damage is still better than nothing.

He silently ran towards the wall of a nearby small house. There was another guard going towards his direction. He waited for the right moment and then jumped in front of the shocked guard, grabbed him by his clothes and smacked him into a wall. The guy slid down to the ground before he could alert anyone. Braylon killed him by stomping his head so much that it crushed and spilled blood all over the wall.

He approached the door of the house and stopped when he realized that there was someone on the other side of the door. He kicked the door open, thus making sure that the victim was flat on its ass. He quickly found out that there were two people inside. The girl on the floor and a guy on the couch. The guy was killed by a Holo Sawblade to the chest while the girl had her head smashed on the floor several times before it finally broke, spilling its precious content. Before he left, Braylon picked up a meat cleaver that was on a table.

He then went towards a row of blue boxes. Those were public toilets.

He opened the first one and was met with a surprised guy who was taking a shit.

"What are you…" The man was stopped mid-sentence when Braylon simply moved his left fist near his face and materialized the Sabre. The holographic weapon forced itself through his skull, damaging a great portion of the brain and completely obliterating everything else. The blood started flowing when Braylon pushed it out of the dead body. Due to the pressure, the blood violently exploded out from the lethal wound and covered the walls of the box.

The next one was a blue haired woman. Man, those tits! Too bad Braylon was forced to kill her.

He grabbed her by the throat and threw her out, sat on her and cut her violently with the stolen meat cleaver. The smell of blood excited his inner killer although he never showed it.

After the deed was done, Braylon realized that he never hid these new corpses, thus hiding the first one was pointless. Oh fuck it. He would use the element of surprise until he was found out. Although, it will be too late to do anything to capture him.

As he moved towards a warehouse, he noticed that all of the people he killed had some animal features. Like wolf ears or fox tails. A bit disturbing, but killable nonetheless.

He was near the entrance, but there were two of them guarding it. He decided to risk it.

He made a run as fast as he could towards them, catching the two by surprise. One's head was smashed swiftly into the concrete, thus breaking his neck, and the other had his rifle taken from him but quickly returned in the most painful of ways. Braylon would shove the rifle barrel in the throat of the bastard then toss him behind his back, turn around and smashed his face with the stock. Multiple times.

The door slowly opened and Braylon hid behind few crates of Dust.

He broke the neck of a nearby woman and hid her in his hiding place. He then moved forward.

Two men. One had his back turned. Big mistake.

Braylon came behind the schmuck and took his hatchet which was attached to the belt. The owner of said tool had his head chopped off. Braylon threw the hatchet at the other man, which hit him right in the face.

"You guys probably thought you weren't gonna die today. Well… surprise!" He said to no one in particular.

Now that the crap has been cleaned, time to proceed over next target.

( **AN:** The music stops here.)

But wait, what is that noise outside? Better check that out.

Braylon went for the door when he heard voices.

"Shit! Call the others!"

I guess we can say that the element of surprise is off-limits now. But the question is, how is he going to fight all of them when he barely has ammo left? Using Laser weapons is a not an option. Better leave it as a surprise for when things start going wrong. This means he is now down to using either his sniper rifles or his revolvers.

He also needed to go out of this concrete cage. The problem is, that by now everyone left has it surrounded. Admitting defeat? Hell no! So there is only one thing left to do…

Sell his skin as dearly as possible.

"We have you surrounded!" One of the terrorist shouted. "Step out of that hole now!"

Braylon kept his mouth shut. He was too busy making a plan.

"This is your last warning!"

He checked one of the crates. There was Dust in it. Perfect.

He took as much crystals he could and gathered them at the wall opposite of the door. The plan was to make it explode and make a hole for him to escape. Of course, he would meet some opposition but that will be for the future Braylon to solve.

He pulled out his Chimera and fired at the Dust pile. At the same time, one of the mooks made the door explode. By the time a small group of terrorists entered inside, Braylon was already out and dealing with the others.

" _I cannot let them surround me!"_ He thought as he fired at the threat who took cover behind objects.

"Hey! He is escaping!" One of them screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You talk too much, friend!" Braylon replied as he fired again while running away.

He wasted no time and went for the van outside the camp. Hopefully, it would still be there since it was his only way out of this mess.

While the terrorists were too busy searching for the intruder around the warehouse, Braylon was already at the van. He untied the now conscious guy.

"Listen to me, tough guy." He started. "You are my property now. You are my bitch and you will do as I say, got it?"

"Fuck you!"

The guy was bitch-slapped.

"Wrong answer!" He replied. "Do you understand now?"

"Y-yes! Please stop!"

"God, what a pussy." Braylon sighed. "Okay. Do you know the road to Vale?"

"Yes?"

"Good, because you are going to drive. And one more thing…" He pulled the man closer and pointed the barrel of his revolver in his throat. "Do as I say, and you will be alive. Refuse to cooperate, and I will kill you."

The guy whimpered and followed the orders. Braylon went for the back of the van to hide himself.

He heard the engine. They now started moving.

* * *

During the trip, Braylon had time to think about what to do next. The assault on the camp was a complete failure. Not to mention that it will alert everyone tied to the group. Awesome. More trigger-pulling.

"Hey!" He shouted to the driver. "Where this Dust was supposed to go?!"

"To the docks of Vale sir!"

"And then where?!"

"I dunno, sir! I swear!"

" _So the Dust is shipped out of Vale, eh?_ "

But why Dust though? What good can come of it? Is there more to it than he knew about? Seems likely since not even the people who live here have any idea about it. How ironic really. The thing that makes their life easier can also turn it into Hell itself if the circumstances are right. And White Fang looks like the guys who are about to do that.

He was sure that the whole police station incident gathered a lot of attention from the rejects of society. After all, if he was able to single-handedly kill all of the law enforcement, what stops him from removing all of the gangs in the city? He hoped nobody realized that he was the responsible, but that conversation made him more worried. How the hell did they knew about him in so little time?

" _Probably spying on me._ "

What else was there? The girls did it too. Which means they will try to stop him. Maybe the raid was not a good idea… but it sure was fun!

He laughed. Loudly. The driver probably thought he lost it. But who cares.

"I regret _nothing._ " He said as he laughed even further.

* * *

A van made its way to the docks several hours later. The driver nodded to the gate guard. The van went further and parked. Nighttime was almost over and the first sun ray made their appearance on the sky of Remnant.

A White Fang member kicked the air in front of him in frustration as he walked towards the van.

"Always me. Always me! Go open the van they say. It will be fun, they say! But nobody pays me enough for this shit!" He stormed to the back of the van, not realizing that the driver was dead. He sighed in frustration. He opened the doors. A pair of hands grabbed him and pulled him deeper. Some time later Braylon got out and dashed for the first cover he could find.

He heard a clicking noise not far from his position. He decided to take a look.

" _Holy. Fuck."_

There were at least thirty of them aiming their weapons at the van. Few snipers were on the roof too.

They knew he was coming. The guys from the camp must have alerted them in case he should appear at the docks.

The last time he got lucky. Now there is no way out of this without spilling blood.

He materialized his Omni-Cannon sniper rifle. Since the White Fang was filled with Faunus people, it was no surprise that they heard commotion from his cover. They do have superhuman perception after all.

"Open fire!" One of them shouted.

* * *

 **The Vault Rose ship got two new votes so the current points are:**

 **Shadow Hunter – 1**

 **Vault Rose – 6**

 **Others – still nothing**

 **Never knew so many people were getting a hard on for Ruby. Damn. But everything to make my readers enjoy the fic, I guess. This is the whole point of the story. To make people have a good time and just enjoy some easy-to-read nonsensical story. But I do have to say that should you ever be grossed out of the violence then just write it in the comments to keep it down a bit. The next chapter should be a good old shootout so there should be good. Of course, using an explosive weapon is going to make a mess.**

 **You may be wondering how he was able to take down those members if they have a personal forcefield. From what I understood, it seems that the Aura is only activated when its owner has its guard up. That and since the organization is hiring people en masse, I doubt anyone has time to properly train them to use it. But even with someone having a powerful Aura, Braylon would still be able to do some damage. Take for example the mentioned Omni-Cannon. Combine its damage with explosive element plus damage amplifier from The Bee and here you go.**

 **One more thing. Did you noticed how Hyperion sniper rifles are less louder than other snipers? One way to explain it is that they already have a silencer built into the weapon. Or it could be something about the bullets.**

 **Oh, and in the next chapter I will reveal the remaining two skill trees our yours truly! So hyped right now! Bye bye!**


	16. Blood at the Docks

**Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all doing good these last few days of ye olde 2016! As for me, I am giving you yet another chapter of this awesome story! But first, we must follow the procedures.**

 **Comments from chapter 14:**

 **Guest: To be honest, I am more hyped for The Walking Dead than TFTB. Out of all games Telltale made, The Walking Dead is the most awesome. I feel like TFTB is just a filler for the upcoming Borderlands 3. Guess we will have to see how it goes.**

 **Dreadpool: To answer your question, RWBY is mostly just like every show ever. There is a set of rules for good guys to follow and a set for bad guys. If the show says good guys do not kill then they do not. Not only that, remember that Qrow is a Huntsman which is, by definition, a warrior that protects mankind. But then you have people like Raven who give a middle finger to that. Actually, no. We never really got any information that Raven killed anybody. Her view on the world may simply be something to appear like a sort of a strong-willed leader but who knows what may be behind it all. As for Ozpin, the mistakes he made surely are some bs thing to make him more mysterious. But it makes me think that Braylon should refuse to talk about his personal backstory about anyone on Remnant. They could think he was making it all up. I mean, if you, as Ozpin, listen to a kid so much younger than you talking about how he lives on a planet where people shooting each other is a favorite sport, would you believe it? Of course not. To find out what am I talking about, please see the AN after the chapter.**

 **Chapter 15 comments:**

 **Guest: You know, at first I was like "HAHAHAHA!". But then I suddenly stopped, my eyes went wide as I thought "Mother. Of. God." and my jaw dropped on the floor. I can already see it, people fapping to her- NO! GOD! PLEASE NO! NOOOOO-**

 **But seriously, at least we know from who she got the "good looks". Wink wink, nudge nudge.**

 **Zapper3000380: I said it before and I will say it again. The ships MAY BE implemented in the story. That is a probability. Besides, if Roland and Lilith can fuck like rabbits despite having a body count that could rival the one made by Hitler himself (which I am pretty sure that it became insignificant in Borderlands universe). All in all, it is just a precaution should I decide to ever implement romance (something I completely suck when it comes to writing).**

 **Phantom: Well… not exactly. You will see what I mean when you read.**

 **SalinorTheDrake: I have no idea. Just as I have no idea with Ruby. Both sides are different. A lot. While teenagers from Remnant have all the fun, teenagers from Pandora struggle with everyday Skag attacks and/or bandits who think that they have the right to shoot anything that moves. Such environment is always a breeding ground for cynics, pessimism and insanity. In other words, Pandora is a place that forces you to unleash the most destructive force you have within yourself. See where I am getting at?**

 **Story time kids! Enjoy!**

* * *

Braylon stood hidden behind his cover with his sniper rifle tightly gripped in his hands. He had no chance of aiming at anyone due to being under constant heavy fire.

" _Damn. They surely don_ ' _t_ _know the meaning of saving lead._ "

All he needed was an opening. He waited and waited. Minutes felt like hours. So much for an opening. He had to risk it. Maybe he would get hit. Maybe not.

Braylon aimed as quickly as he could at one of the snipers on the rooftops. His Omni-Cannon couldn't even be heard due to the unleashed bullet storm. A quick ping and the sniper was hit. Aura was not going to save him from the shot.

The bullet exploded at the impact with its target. Although the Aura absorbed the amplified explosion, it was useless against the after-effects that the bullet caused. He cried in pain as his body felt backwards due to the force caused by the shot. Braylon couldn't tell if he had killed him or not. This one had a stronger Aura than others.

As much as it was amazing, so it was lethal. Lots of bullets quickly depleted The Bee but failed to hurt him.

" _Fucking calf heads. Do they not realize that I am behind a cover? Unless…_ "

Another White Fang member popped on the rooftops behind him. Braylon quickly spotted him and jumped on the ground as the not-so-stealthy assassin fired from his gun.

"Calm down amigo!" he shouted as he pressed the trigger again. The sniper's head exploded in a red mist and even redder chunks.

He was not safe here. He could get another surprise attack like that from everywhere.

His Holo Claw helped him climb a wall from one of the structures. The plan was to reach the rooftop. Sure, this may be a death sentence but at least he would bring with him as much of these bastards he could. None of the trigger-happy lunatics noticed him, which bought him some time to bring out one of the ultimate weapons in his arsenal. The pride of Jakobs corporation itself. The gun that is the living proof that not even the best shield on the market is guaranteed to save you from the wrath of a very pissed off person. Why, for I am talking about the Trespasser, a one of a kind weapon capable of completely ignoring _anything_ that protects its target and killing it instantly. Force fields be damned, this gun is totally gonna reduce their numbers.

Braylon took aim. One of the White Fang members is hiding behind a wall but his head is still visible. He fired.

From the back of the head a large red mist popped into view. He heard one of them cursing.

"Fuck!" He shouted as the terrorist saw his own friend die in front of him. The anger clouded his rationality as he jumped out from the cover with a pistol in his hand.

"Dust damn you! Fucking human trash!"

Braylon felt offended and he shouted back.

"Please don't think I am a bigot! I kill all races equally!" He pulled back the bolt and quickly placed it back on the original spot. "Let me show you!"

BANG!

That guy is dead. Three down.

Special care went to the snipers, who were the biggest threat to him. He had to take another risk. He jumped up and aimed at one of the snipers.

BEEP! BEEP!

Five seconds. Five god-damn seconds was all it took to completely deplete the Shield thanks to the fire squad from below. However, the snipers gave the most damage.

He heard the first bullet, as well as felt it. The other two were completely unnoticed. He felt sharp pain in his left shoulder, stomach and right leg. It didn't hurt. Much. But damn did it _burn_. Not as in "being set on fire" burn. I am talking about the burning feeling you get when your skin is pierced and when you can feel your own blood oozing out of it.

He fell behind the cover. That was close. Really close. The snipers must either be beginners or myopic as fuck. It may took a while to completely heal the wounds, but it sure as hell won't stop him.

"We got him!" One of the snipers yelled, thus immediately giving Braylon the info he needed to locate him. Bang. Idiot.

The kill gave him enough courage to go out and shoot another one. This time, it was a woman from the fire squad down there.

"The guy's a demon!" One of them yelled horrified.

"Demon or not, he is going down!" Another one said as he fired from his rifle and quickly returned behind his cover.

"Then you better pray you have enough ammo left!" Braylon shot back. He was serious. The number of bullets they wasted was getting smaller and smaller. If he only had a grenade.

He reloaded his Trespasser. He then heard something he so hoped for.

"Shit! Out of ammo!" One newbie yelled to others as he stared wide-eyed at his gun. The voice came from behind an empty crate.

" _Perfect._ " Braylon thought as he aimed.

BANG!

The bullet pierced through both the crate and the head with ease.

"Retreat! Retreat Dust Damn it!" One of them yelled as the others started running away. "Damn you! A thousand times damn you! AAH!"

It was time for payback as Braylon quickly picked off another two terrorists. It soon became something similar to target-practicing. The massive force of thirty people was quickly decimated to less than twelve. They were terrorists after all and not trained soldiers.

He decided to hunt down the remaining survivors but they all scattered in various corners of the docks. Boy, this is gonna take long.

* * *

After some time he managed to find four of them. He killed them without a second thought. God knows Remnant needs no scum like that alive.

The hunt ended when Braylon met something, or rather someone, familiar. A guy with orange hair, ridiculous hat and a cane. He smacked his forehead when he remembered who it was. The Clockwork Orange rip-off. What was his name again? Ramon? I guess so.

"Don't you see? This is my… hm… _our_ chance!"

Braylon came out of his hiding place and made few steps forward. Only to stop soon after and stare at the man.

Ramon was talking about something to a woman. Well, a woman. More like a transvestite midget. And a psychotic one if the differently-colored hair is any indication. While Ramon ignored him, it was the midget who nodded at his direction. The man slowly turned his head towards him and when he saw him, he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Dust, another one…" He murmured to himself. He now turned completely, as did his companion.

"Would you look at Mr. Big Guy over there Neo!" He shouted sarcastically. I doubt he remembered who Braylon was anyway. "It is the guy I was talking you about!"

… Or not.

"Why are YOU here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Braylon replied nonchalantly.

"Ooo, I see what's going on. You are trying to be a hero, right?

"Well, Ramon-"

" _Roman._ "

"Whatever, I heard you have some shady shit going on in here. So I was nice and decided to fuck up your plans completely." He bluffed. Roman was the last person he wanted to see right now.

Roman's frown deepened. "So you are the one who destroyed that Dust shipment and attacked our camp? I see."

" _What is he talking- wait, forget it._ " Braylon facepalmed himself when he remembered that he blew up that ship.

"I had… _problems_ because of that, you know. But hey, everyone's a hero, aren't they?"

He pointed at some Dust crates and returned back to Braylon.

"You think collecting that is easy?! I suppose YOU know how to do it, am I right killer?!"

Braylon hummed.

"But I should thank you for killing those cops, you know? It just made my life a little bit more bearable… but then you had to screw it all up!" He nodded to the midget who did the same in response. His companion would then turn around and pick up something.

"Well, bad news for you! Not you or anyone else will tear me and Neo down! Not the so-called Hunters, not Cinder, anyone!"

Cinder? Who is that?

"And to prove it to you, we just so happen to have a trick here with us."

Uh-oh.

"It is a rather interesting trick. And you will be perfect for its testing."

He took his cane while his companion… an umbrella?

" _Something tells me there is more to those than just the looks._ " Braylon gritted his teeth as he took a fighting stance. He knew already the result. He was exhausted and wounded while they would be at the top of their game.

"The ending…" He aimed his cane at Braylon. "…Is to DIE for!" He laughed.

( **AN:** Play the music from Dead Rising 2. The music is a boss theme from the two failed magicians "Reed and Roger".)

Braylon pulled out his Unforgiven and fired at the duo. He needed to see what were they capable of.

The midget Roman calls "Neo" opened her umbrella and deflected the bullets. Somehow. Huh, I guess that bulletproof umbrellas are a thing now?

Braylon was caught off guard with their next strategy. Neo moved away and Roman _shot something out from his cane_.

The glowing (bullet?) thingy hit Braylon directly in the stomach. As it exploded, Braylon was sent against a wall. Thank God the Shield took one for the team. But damn did it took a little bit less than half of the battery.

A rocket launcher shaped like a cane. Okay, that one is actually cool.

They worked in perfect symphony with each other. She would deflect the bullets while Roman would fire. I think it is time to stop that.

Braylon pulled out his Chimera and aimed again. Whatever element came after the explosion would be a perfect surprise. He fired and it all happened just as he predicted. Neo stood in front of Roman and opened her umbrella again.

Braylon smiled as the explosion brought a powerful shock at the midget.

Oh… I forgot they have forcefields too. So whatever damage she would get was absorbed by the Aura. And unlike his Shield, electricity is not effective at the same scale with Aura.

Roman fired three consecutive shots towards his direction. He rolled away as a bright red explosion tore a hole in the wall. He looked at Roman and found out that the midget was gone.

His instincts screamed at him to jump away. And he did so.

Guess that the midget expected a different outcome, as she was surprised when he escaped from her lethal attack. Now her sword was stuck in the ground and she tried to pick it up. Braylon grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her at Roman. He was surprised, but still dodged to the right. He never noticed Braylon materializing his Trespasser and firing at him.

The bullet shoved itself deep into his right arm, giving his Aura a giant middle finger in the process. He shouted and cursed. It was something about his coat being new. What a weirdo.

The wound made the midget bitch crazy as fuck. She suddenly appeared in front of Braylon as if she teleported. Her sword tore away a portion of the battery. Thankfully, none of them noticed the source of said forcefield of his.

He used his own Holo Sabre but he was too slow for her. _Despite being a fast motherfucker_. He started thinking that Aura behaves just like his own Shield. It enhances its user. And I am not talking about Semblance.

Fuck it, he thought as he materialized his Mining Laser. Midget bitch never expected that the gun would fire _three_ shots so it wasn't a surprise when she dodged one but got hit by other two.

Jesus, fucking Aura. It certainly is an improvement from the nameless White Fang members. Even better, she was probably at the level to that of Hunters at Beacon. This means that Braylon would need to really get on a whole new level of ass-kicking.

However, it was his turn to get a surprise shot. He was too busy with Neo thus giving Roman a chance to hit him. And the shot hit him in the back. Fuck.

It wasn't the explosion or the smack in the wall. It was the fact that the shot damaged The Bee. Probably some circuits fried and shit. The thing is, he had a large disadvantage now. Being without Shield is a death sentence just waiting to happen.

He got up. Barely. The shot stunned him. His head felt funny. And hot. Oh, it was the blood.

And now the midget stabbed him in the back. Quite literally. Fucking hell, man.

Instead of a cry, Braylon just frowned.

The shot also damaged his Mining Laser. Well, now it was time to REALLY get serious.

Of all the things you can do to piss a Vault Hunter off, one of them is to take away his weapons. You end up hoping that people won't need to pick your remains up with a spoon.

He swung with his Sabre, forcing Neo to jump away.

Now he analyzed the duo. Neo was a CQC fighter while Roman was great at ranged attacks. Of course, Roman had to use his other hand since the right one was fucked up, courtesy of the Vault Hunter himself.

He dematerialized his Mining Laser and materialized his Hard Reboot. One shot was aimed at Neo but not for hitting, only giving him time. He quickly aimed at Roman and fired the rest of the clip at him. I think he was in for a shock. Eh, get it?

"Not again!" Roman yelled through his teeth as electricity quickly bit off a good portion of his Aura due to being shot with multiple shock bullets. He was forced into a kneeling position.

All he needed was to get the midget so angry that it would cloud her thinking. Oh he got it alright. It left him with lots of stabs and cuts all over the body but nothing that would leave a scar. Like he cared.

Neo jumped in front of him and smiled as she went sword-first towards him. To her surprise, he took the hit.

Braylon smiled as he materialized his Excalibastard and stabbed Neo right in the head with its blade. As she fell on the ground, he depleted the rest of her Aura with two good placed cryo lasers.

With her Aura depleted Neo fell unconscious. Braylon slowly pulled her sword out of him and stood over her. He could finish her off but he felt weaker and weaker. At least one of them would be sent to hell.

A red explosion near his feet made him fall far away from her.

( **AN:** the battle stops here.)

It was too much. He started coughing blood. Few ribs are probably broken. He would already be out if it weren't for the pain inhibitor and subdermal armor. But everything has its boundaries.

But… was this how it was going to end? Killed like this? He felt very weak. The blood loss is one hell of a trouble.

He closed his eyes, waiting for death to finally take him.

" _I am sorry guys…_ " He thought.

But it never came.

* * *

 **I know I promised the skill reveal in this chapter but then I decided it would be more appropriate to separate it from chapters. So the next thing coming up will be the skills only.**

 **By the way, I am happy to announce the almost-end of "Season 1" of this fic! One more chapter, I think, and this season is over! Huzzah! Tally-ho! Whatever!**

 **I have to say, I would never made it this far without you readers. When I saw the interest in this fic rising and rising, the very idea of writing this fic became awesome.**

 **There is one more thing. I heard a rumor that RWBY is going to be 9 to 10 volumes long. And I was not happy. Why? Because the plan is to end the story at the same time of the show. And I thought Volume 4 was going to be the end. Do you know what this means? It means that the fucking awesome events I planned for the future Braylon are going to be delayed… and I have to invent something to keep the plot going. So far so good I guess. This also means that there is no way I am going to end this story in less than fifty chapters! Hooray, more work for me.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story so far. Because from season 2 onward, things will take a turn for the "twisted and fucked up". Things will get more serious… Borderlands style.**

 **Vault Rose - 7**

 **Eridian Flame - 1**

 **Shadow Hunter - 1**

 **Braylon and Raven (needs a name) - 1**

 **Others - 0**


	17. Skills

**Ladies and gentlemen! The poll is closed! And the votes are as follows:**

 **a) Yes – 10**

 **b) No – 3**

 **Wohoo! This means you will be rewarded with the Prequel to this crossover after it is done! Boy, I cannot wait!**

 **But there is also something… else.**

 **At first, I thought the guy who brought the Raven idea was just doing it for shits and giggles.**

 **And then this happened.**

 **Shadow Hunter – 1**

 **Vault Rose – 7**

 **Eridian Flame – 1**

 **BRAYLON AND RAVEN (Bonnie and Clyde, thanks to VaultBoy for the name) – 1 (+ 5 NEW) = 6**

 **I think it is time to stop! What is wrong with you all? Although I admit that it could work… but… I… SCREW IT! Let it be a thing!**

 **When the shipping poll will be on the profile, please choose wisely! Until then I will show the results at the end of chapters.**

 **But on a sidenote…**

 **Happy New Year everyone! Here it is, the skill trees I promised! The comments will be answered in the next chapter. Speaking of next chapter, to know more about it, read the text after the skills.**

 **Action skill: Killer Instinct (When activated, Braylon becomes more aggressive and more deadly.)**

 **Note that the skills are not placed in any order.**

 **Skill trees:**

 **a) Red – PDA (this one is focused on upgrades Braylon gets from his device. Since I already mentioned some of the skills, I will skip this one)**

 **b) Green – Beast (this one is focused on raising his combat skills as well as how to be a nightmare to everyone who goes against him)**

 **c) Blue – Survivor (this one can be compared to the perks from Fallout. What I mean is when you complete a quest or something important you get a perk. As the name suggests, it helps him survive against improbable odds and such.)**

 **Beast Skill Tree:**

 **Executioner –** ** _Melee Override skill._ Why simply put a bullet in their heads when you can execute them and look badass while doing it? Each execution will partially restore your Health instantly. Rip and tear!**

 **Bloodlust –** ** _Tied to Executioner skill._ You have so much blood on your hands. Not yours, of course! For some reason, it excites you. You wish you could see more of it… so you become more violent! (Killing an enemy increases Damage for several seconds)**

 **Apathy – Aw, did that bastard hit a puppy? Why would you even care? He will die by your hands anyways. (increases Damage by 20%)**

 **The Great Communicator – People express themselves with words. You express yourself with your weapons. Trust me, it works. (Increases Melee Damage by 30%)**

 **Instant Surgery – Who needs a doctor when you can tear your way through waves of enemies with your fists and shotguns? And may I add, it is twice as efficient. (Increases Melee Damage by 15% and Shotgun Damage by 25%)**

 **Living Anatomy – You have been shot, stabbed, burned, shocked and whatnot. And it wasn** **'t for nothing. Because of it, you have become tougher to kill. (Increase Damage Resistance by 40%)**

 **The Elementalist – Screw regular bullets! Instead, give them a taste of the pain they will endure in Hell forever! I doubt they will see you as a nice person. (Increases all Elemental Damage)**

 **Meltdown –** ** _Passive skill_. They hurt you long enough. Time for payback… with interests! (When your Health drops below 30%, you get bonus Damage, Damage Resistance, Precision and Rate of Fire. The bonus will not be added if your health is above 30%)**

 **Awakening –** ** _Hidden. Very deep. He can't see me. He knows I am here. Here. Here. The gates. Opened that day. Out of the cage. Growing. Helping. Killing. Inflicting pain. Food. Food. Hunger! He knows I am here. Waiting. Abuse. Power. No control. Always close. Listening. Feeling. Suffering. Let me out. Out out out out out out…_ (When you activate the action skill, you get +100% Damage, +80% Damage Resistance and +50% Reloading Speed. However, you loose -25% Health and suffer -30% Precision and -40% Movement speed for three minutes)**

 **Survivor Skill Tree:**

 **Intensive Training – The extreme training methods used by Uncle Daniel prepared you for the life on this wasteland of a planet. If anything, at least you learned some useful stuff about weapons and how to aim with them.**

 **Anthropologist – You love studying people. Especially when you can find out their weak spots, thus giving you a bonus damage against all human enemies.**

 **Hunter – All those dead animals served a purpose, you know. Because now any damage you do to them is doubled! Now you only need a moustache and you will be perfect.**

 **Self-Control – You learned how to keep the inner beast from helping you doing what you do best: creating a genocide. Unfortunately, you are not able to use its powers properly. God knows what would happen if you let it all out at once… (Negates the penalty of Awakening and halves its bonuses at the same time.)**

 **Mutation – That Black Monolith you and co. destroyed caused some weird mutation on your skin, thus making it harder. Well, at least you get a permanent bonus of 10% Damage Resistance so it should be good.**

 **Weapon Handling – Here is some food for thought. What is the purpose of a weapon if you have no idea how to use it properly? Luckily, so many had passed through your hands that now you instinctively know how to reload them and be more precise.**

 **Scrounger – There are three things you will never find on Pandora: hot shower, tasty food and unused weapons. However, you will find grenades in the toilets or magazines stashed in piles of garbage. And if you pay enough attention, you will notice that there is a pack of unused shotgun shells! (increases the amount of ammo/supplies in searchable objects)**

 **This should be it. Please note that these are not meant to be taken seriously and are merely for fun.**

 **But anyway, about the next chapter. It may take a little longer.**

 **The reason is simple: I have no idea how to write the reactions of the rest of the crew. While I can kinda understand how theoretically every person would react to Braylon (example, Weiss will be a bitch), I always feel like I am not making it right. So I am asking you, readers, help. If anyone is really into RWBY and knows a thing or two about writing such things, please PM me so we can discuss or perhaps make a collaboration even. It would also help me a lot to improve the quality of future chapters. I am making all this for my readers so that they can enjoy even more the story. I am not sure when the next chapter will be posted because of this.**


	18. Small Revelations

**And here I was thinking I would never be able to finish this chapter. Phew.**

 **IMPORTANT: THE SHIPPING POLL IS OFFICIALY ON MY PROFILE. PLEASE VOTE THERE BECAUSE I WILL ONLY ACCEPT THE VOTES ON THE POLL AND NO OTHERS. THE POLL WILL BE EXTENDED TO 1ST OF FEBRUARY. ONCE AGAIN, REMEMBER TO VOTE ON THE POLL!**

 **SalinorTheDrake: People like Bumblebee because it is good fap material. Feel free to ignore any type of defense those shippers make. People would fuck everything that moves nowdays.**

 **Frank: I honestly would like to see that too. Not write it, just see it.**

 **MrTIBBS: Hmm, not sure it would fit. We still have no idea what Raven really does so I will not judge.**

 **VaultBoy: Thanks for liking the story!**

 **Vic Doom: Who ever said that Braylon is a good guy? I have no idea if I mentioned it before but if I had to choose I would still pick Blake because the two are similar in some aspects... and then comes the chapter where she proves to be just another kind hearted fool. God damn it. But let me remind you that the poll is a "just in case" situation. I have no idea if I will even be able to put any romance in the story. Like I said, I am improvising so everything can happen. Hell, i can even make Braylon and Raven a couple for a few chapters only to break up and then him finding someone else to match with him. Perhaps someone from RWBBY?**

 **Before you say something, I will say this: rules are made to be broken.**

* * *

 _"What the fuck is that?!"_

 _"Why are you asking me?!"_

 _"Holy shit. Did you see how that thing fried the guy?!"_

 _"And it seems he is not alone..."_

 _"Ugh... why does everything smell like sulphur?"_

 _"How do we take that thing down? The bullets seem to just tickle the bastard."_

 _"Wait!"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I have an idea!"_

 _"Oh no... no, no, NO! You are not going to-"_

 _"What choice do we have?"_

 _"I did not follow you for so many years just to see you fried like that!"_

 _"Who said I am going to fight it?"_

 _"Then what are you..."_

 _"Just listen to me!... Okay... This might be dangerous... and maybe pointless... but I will go there and destroy that!"_

 _"Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea what might happen?!"_

 _"No! Do you?"_

 _"I... will we see you again?"_

 _"… Why not?"_

 _"I dunno I just..."_

 _"What are you – MMMH!"_

 _"After this story is done, I am SO gonna fuck your brains out darling! About time I empty that whale supply of yours."_

 _"Do you think now it is the best time to do this conversation you two?!"_

 _"Wait a minute. Before you go, I have the duty to give you something that shall make you remember the interesting times we had, should you ever not be able to return."_

 _SQUICK!_

 _"… What am I gonna do with this?"_

 _"This little ally can travel with you even in the most private of moments."_

 _"I swear, you are so weird sometimes... anyways... listen to me now. I have no idea what might happen, so I want you to go away from this place as fast as possible."_

 _"But-"_

 _"No thinking! Just do it!"_

* * *

Braylon's eyes suddenly opened as he bolted upwards. He was lying on a bed in what seemed to be a hospital room. A nurse quickly approached him.

"Mister Braylon! How are you feeling?"

Well, how would someone feel if they were exploded or stabbed several times? However, instad of being a sarcastic jerk he decided to be polite. Probably not because the nurse was a hot chick. Definitely.

"Um... slight headache and... actually, just that. A headache."

She smiled sweetly as she wrote something down on a device.

"Wait... where am I?"

"In Beacon."

"Beacon? H-how did I..."

She giggled. "You can thank Mister Qrow for that."

Who the fuck is "Qrow"?

"And who would that be?"

"That would be me." Responded a guy who came out of nowhere.

 **QROW: It** **'s never too late for a drink!**

Good God, did this guy look comical. Short black hair, red eyes and a grin of a man who is too cynical for his own good. Is this guy supposed to be the oh-so-idealistic "huntsman of Remnant"?

"And let me guess, you expect me to say thanks?"

The man chuckled as he waved with his head.

"No, tough guy. I never expected anything from anyone." He crossed his arms. "However, I'm sure you realize that I had done this because of my two nieces. Otherwise I would let your butt to die there where it was supposed to."

Wait, wait, WAIT... what nieces?

"Who are you talking about when you say "niece"? Because I have no idea to who are you refering."

He came closer to Braylon.

"Cut the crap, kid. I know what you have done. And I can assure you that I'm not the only one."

Braylon cringed as he tried to block his nose from detecting the smell this guy was emanating any further.

"Damn it, dude. Is your fuel alcohol by chance? Because you smell worse than a brewery."

Qrow smirked as he punched the shit out of Braylon, making him fall on the ground head-first.

"Okay." He mumbled under his breath. "I was definitely not prepared for this one."

"Get your clothes on." The man ordered. "We are making a trip towards Ozpin's office."

"Oh dear lord." Braylon whispered.

* * *

The two were now walking down the hall. Needless to say, they both got stares from other students. One girl even moved her sunglasses just to see better.

Not much time has passed when they reached the elevator. During the entire walk they shared no words between each other. The only interaction they did was Qrow glancing back once in a while to check if Braylon is near him. Sometimes he would get a middle finger from said person.

However, everything changed during the elevator ride.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what exactly?"

Now he got Qrow's full attention.

"You managed to completely wipe out the entire police force in Vale single-handedly, something that no one, not even the most dangerous individuals, was capable of doing. You then vanished for days without a trace in front of the noses of the best first and second year groups in Beacon only to reappear near the docks where you forced some people to return to their families in bodybags. And you even managed to stand against that criminal Torchwick and his partner. Something that a huntsman-in-training shouldn't be capable of. Especially a _first-year_ huntsman-in-training."

"Well... I am a man with lots of qualities..." Braylon smiled.

Qrow frowned. "Whatever you are hiding. It's best to spill it out before someone gets hurt."

"Hmpf. Like I care."

"You _should_ care. You are supposed to be a Huntsman. Someone who protects people. Not someone who makes gravedigging the number one choice for a job in the kingdom."

"I couldn't care less. It wasn't my choice to become a child-soldier. Ozpin never mentioned this ridiculous task of saving humanity." He snorted. "Besides, what was I supposed to do? Calmly wait for them to put their weapons down?"

"I'm sure those people at the police station also pointed the gun at you." Qrow sarcastically replied.

"Yeah yeah..."

DING!

The door opened and they were at the office. The duo quickly met the gaze of both the headmaster and the dominatrix with her crop. The latter being very pissed off.

Braylon calmly went towards the desk as if going to a tea party to a friend.

The headmaster wanted to say something but was quickly cut by Braylon.

"First of all, where is my equipment?"

"Mr, Braylon! Bring some respect to the headmaster!"

" _Bite me._ "

"Your weapons have been confiscated Mr. braylon." Ozpin calmly replied.

"Hm. Interesting." He leaned to the table. "And tell me, why are my weapons confiscated?"

"Your actions led to this unpleasant consequence. To be honest, you should have thought about that sooner."

"I want them back Ozzy." Braylon demanded. He felt naked without his equipment. Even with his clothes on.

"I am afraid it won't be possible for quite some time."

"Bullshit!" Braylon exploded. So much so that he forced Glynda to bring out her weapon. "I am tired of your games Ozpin! Even better, I am tired of all this Huntsman bullshit!" There was so much tension in the air that it could be cut with a knife.

Qrow chuckled. "Damn, gotta give it to him Ozpin. Kid's got guts."

There was no reply. Qrow just waved with his hand and went towards a corner.

"Let me put it this way." Ozpin started. "You have commited a crime -"

"Oh my fucking god."

"For which you should be in jail right now. For quite some time,I might add." He took a sip of his coffe. "And yet you are still free. Free and still signed in the academy."

"So you want me to kiss your ass?"

They heard Qrow whistling in the background while Glynda's eyes threatened to fall out from her skull. Despite the insult, Ozpin continued.

"No. I want you to do what is good. While your crime can be viewed as unpardonable-"

Oh boy, if he thought this was a crime, then Braylon should spend at least three more lives in jail.

"You know, good and bad are very relative terms, depending on your worldview. I like to think of myself as a kind of pragmatist of my own invention. Someone who does something because it was needed to be done."

"And taking innocent lives seems to fall into that worldview?!" Glynda shouted.

"Innocent?! HAH!" Braylon waved with his hands. "You know what they say, a clear conscience is usually a sign of a very bad memory." He then sat down on a chair near him. "Nobody is innocent. They just hadn't kill someone yet."

"That's why we are fighting for!" She replied. "We are fighting to keep peace on Remnant!"

"And fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity."

Glynda's cheeks became red with both contained rage and embarassment. But she had no words to counter with.

"And why do you think so, Mr. Braylon?" Ozpin inquired.

"Because its just history repeating itself over and over. Same thing with revolutions. People join to fight a tyrant and remove him from his golden throne... and then comes a guy who is ten times worse than the previous one!"

"Why do you think the Great War we had, happened?"

Braylon forced himself to stifle a laugh. "Oh please! You call _that_ a Great War? Earth had two of those which were a lot worse and for much more stupid reasons! The war to end all wars my _ass_!"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Earth?"

"Yeah... you know, the place where humans come from?"

Further confusion. This time boosted by both Qrow and Glynda. braylon didn't like it where this was going.

"... Ancient Greece? Romans? Medieval ages? Industrial revolution?"

Oh for fuck's sake.

Braylon slowly widened his eyes as his jaw dropped. He gripped his hair out of frustration.

"No, no, no, no, no..." He murmured. This was not really happening, was it?

While it is true that humanity colonized six galaxies. In every school of every civilized planet kids had to learn about humanity's history. From the very beginning, to the 21st century. It was a requirement made at the very mentioned century when the nations promised that "our brothers from beyond the stars need to learn their origins". Not knowing about Earth was like not knowing how to walk.

But then again, this planet is a total shityard. Maybe they changed the rules? He had to ask questions from the not-so-old historical moments. He would always get the same damn answer.

He wasn't denying it anymore. He had been transported to another dimension. Or possibly another reality. This would explain why Hitler didn't knew about the original. And it would also explain why these people see murder as unpardonable sin.

They were still in the stone age, god fucking damn it!

Every piece of tech he had was literally thousands of years more advanced than everything these cavemen could offer. At best, Remnant tech is basically somehwere between the middle of 21st century and the start of 22nd.

"I think I need some fresh air..." Braylon said as he got up, with his eyes still widened, and slowly went for the elevator.

"Mister Braylon!" Glynda shouted. "Mister Braylon!"

But her shouting went unheard. Braylon just stared dumbly as he pushed a button.

"I really need some fresh air..." He repeated again.

And while this conversation was bad news for him, to Ozpin this was a mine of interesting informations. For those made the antisocial student a bit less of a mystery.

* * *

 **And here we are people! Season 1 of the story is complete! THINGS! EXCITEMENT!**

 **How will Braylon process all of this? Will Ozpin finally reveal what Braylon is desperately trying to hide? Will the girls accept him again? Will someone fart?! My guess is as good as yours! That is until the chapter 1 of season 2!**

 **But seriously, a huge thanks to all of you, my readers, for making this dream come true. It was about time that these two separate worlds got a parody worthy of reading (at least I hope so)! Of course, newcomers are always welcome! The bigger the audience, the bigger this story becomes! Nah, I am joking. This story will meet its end with or without huge audience.**

On a side note, I did make a few plans for the next seasons. Of course, the bigger part will be improvised but there are some scenes and mini-arcs that will definitely happen. And who knows, maybe I might add someone new to the party (if you know what I mean)?

But this is all for now. Once again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it all! BYE BYE!


	19. Consequences

**First things first. I have some announcements to make.**

 **The first few chapters will basically be some fluff, depending on POV. How much season 2 will be long is still unknown.**

 **The poll about ships will be up until the 1st of February because of the other poll that lasted for so long. That and to give people a chance to vote. Once again, note that romance may or may not happen. It really depends on multiple things. If it happens, I will possibly make it up to eleven. For example, X is voted by many to be in love with Y. They remain a couple for some time but then X decides to love Z instead. Please note that this is only an example and it may not happen like this.**

 **Even if unlikely so, I may reuse some songs in the future. Partly because my list of songs to use is getting shorter and shorter and partly because they really do add a special feeling to some scenes. Again, I highly doubt it will happen but should it ever happen, then feel free to choose one from your own and go with it.**

 **I am happy to inform you that this story has reached more than 8000 views! Awesome! The story is getting more and more famous! And I like it!**

 **Zapper3000380: I never said they took all of his equipment. As for how much he had... everything in its due time.**

* * *

Needles to say, this conversation with Braylon was the most informational so far. The fact that he mentioned yet another place unknown to him made him quite curious. And from the way he spoke, this "Earth" was similar to Remnant.

Now there could be two possibilities. Either he was making stuff up... or he was not from Remnant.

How else could he and his associates describe everything they saw?

The first, and most obvious proof, was the technology he used. Thanks to the cameras, he could receive the pleasure to see Mister Braylon in action. The strange devices he carried, the guns that looked like they came from a science-fiction novel. Especially the device he carried on his arm. No known methods were capable of infiltrating inside the database of the device. Something that should not be possible.

The second was his total disrespect for authority and his combat style. No Huntsman-in-training could fight like that. There was no finesse, no desire to express his abilities. Only raw power, like an animal. He was fighting to kill. Definitely not Huntsman-like.

And finally, the historical events he described and named. Nothing of what he said was known to Ozpin. Not even a little bit. And judging by the way he talked about them, he wasn't making stuff up. It all seemed legit.

Now more than ever, Ozpin remained skeptical. He would not make judgements until he got solid evidence to do otherwise.

Which is why he gave all the equipment to the school technician responsible for keeping in check the equipment of other students. This time, Ozpin ordered to do a detailed research on each and every item owned by Mister Braylon they could take and send to him the results.

Unfortunately for Ozpin, his research would meet a dead end when the technician gave the report.

To put it simply, the man had no idea what he was looking at.

* * *

Meanwhile in the room of team RWBBY, the girls and team JNPR were discussing about the various topics, including the one they refered to as "incident". No one would even imagine that their conversation would suddenly came to a halt.

SLAM!

"Well a Scotsman clad in kilt left a bar one evening fair!"

They all turned their heads towards the door and what they found gave priceless reactions. Especially from the girls of RWBBY.

There he was. With red cheeks and a bottle in right hand, he sang as loudly as he could. His perceptive abilities were totally out of order.

He gave a weak smile before making a step forward. He almost fell on his pathetic ass. It didn't stop him from singing further though.

"And one could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than he share!"

He clumsily made his way towards the centre of the room. Why no one said anything would become a mystery for the future generations to solve.

He turned his head on the left, chuckled, and then moved to the right.

"Hehehe..."

Yang was the first one who tried to break the ice. it ended in Braylon screaming at her face.

"HE FUMBLED AROUND UNTIL HE COULD NO LONGER KEEP HIS FEET!"

Braylon then went for the nearest bed and giggled like a small boy.

"Ring... ring... RING DING DIDDLE IDDLE I DE OH RING DI DIDDLY I OH!" He shouted at the top of his lungs as he fell on the bed.

"Okay... translation? Anyone?" Yang asked others.

Braylon, still ignoring the silent stares of others, started rolling on the bed like crazy. He was also spilling the liquid of the bottle on the sheets. This pissed Weiss off.

"Are you drunk?" She asked loudly. She received another giggle as a reply.

"...I am a SWAGMAN!" He screamed. "WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A... DRUNKEN SSSSAILOR!"

"I think that was the answer..." Blake said. A wave of pity almost influenced her judgement... only to be quickly drowned by the memory of what he had done.

"Unbelievable!" Weiss started. "He vanished for days and _this_ is how he shows up?!"

And while their teammate started rambling incoherently, the girls turned towards JNPR.

"Do you have any idea on how we should handle this?" Yang asked.

Silence.

"Gee, thanks a lot."

"Well... we should remove that thing from his grip..." Jaune said pointing at the bottle that Braylon talked to.

"Good idea." Ruby said. "So... go take it!"

"Wha?!"

Poor Jaune had no time to react and he was already betrayed by his own teammates. He came closer to the bed and slowly reached for the bottle.

Braylon stopped whatever he was doing and suddenly jumped on Jaune with his hands around the guy's neck.

"MY BOTTLE! MY!" he shouted as he tried to choke Jaune to death.

"H-help!" Jaune begged. Others immediately reacted and removed the two from each other.

Braylon started hissing and growling like a dog infected with rabies.

"Calm down Braylon!" Ruby desperately yelled.

"It's pointless sis!" Her sister responded. "He needs a therapy!" Yang then knocked Braylon out with a punch.

"Oh man! he almost choked me." Jaune coughed.

"Why did the headmaster ever placed him into our team..." Weiss resisted the urge to curl into a ball and cry loudly.

"You still think he is not evil and/or crazy, sis?"

"Uh... maybe he is now full of grief for what he had done and decided to punish himself..."

"Ruby..."

"...and he looks sad and hurt and..."

"Ruby!"

"We need to help him!"

"Helping a criminal?!" Weiss interrupted. "We are Huntresses, remember?!"

"... but he is still our teammate and..."

"Do you forgive him?"

"What?! No! I don't... but..."

Yang placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Ruby... I know that you want to help people. And I know that you want to make this world a better place but..." She quickly glanced at Braylon, who was still on the floor. "...some people... I don't know..."

"There must be a reason why he did what he did!"

Yang sighed. Trying to reason with her younger sister in this state was useless. Ruby is known to be stubborn, after all. But even she couldn't simply remove the fact that he _did_ commit a crime. Even thought the reason behind it was unknown to anyone but Braylon himself.

And here he was now. Drunk and unconscious in their room. People don't become that drunk without reason. Could it really be grief? Is he really sad because of his actions? Could they ever forgive him?

Guess they would need to find out.

* * *

Roman was nervous. Yet another failure to "take care of the problem". He knew his boss was gonna be furious, if the fast clicking was any indication.

And there they were. Roman tried his best to not show her any signs of nervousness. Dust knows how much of an unfeeling bitch she can be.

"Oh, Roman. I am truly ashamed."

This was bad.

"It seems I was wrong. I thought that you, a master thief, would come up with a creative way of dealing with problems."

She came a few steps closer, forcing him to take a few steps back.

"But no. You failed me. Again."

"P-please. Give me another chance."

"Silence."

He gulped as she turned around.

"The only thing I ever asked of you was to remove from play that little pest before it makes any further damage. And yet..."

She turned around again.

"Infiltrated into one of our secret bases?"

"Ehm. Those animals have no idea how it happened..."

"And what about the shipment of Dust that sank in the sea?"

"...Maybe someone played with a bit of Dust and..."

"Loss of every crate of Dust at the docks of Vale?"

She sighed. "It is quite true when people say that if you want to do something, you have to do it yourself."

"W... what do you mean?"

She smiled. "I think it is time for us to give Ozpin a visit... at Beacon."


	20. Unecessary Rebellion

**Say what you want, but I find the unique/legendary guns to be either situational or impractical.**

 **I had no idea what the developers were thinking when making those in the first game, but if you look at them you will notice that they are just better common guns. Nothing really special about them. Cyclops is basically a normal sniper rifle with better zoom, Anaconda is a revolver with better accuracy and damage, Defiler is a corrosive revolver with just better elemental damage. There were however exceptions, albeit really low in numbers.**

 **Everything changes from BO2. Basically, they become situational guns and some of them are impractical. The Bee is awesome thanks to its effect... and nothing else. Using the Bee in harder difficulties is a death sentence because enemies drop your shields with a hit (and your health even faster just by spitting at you). Skullsmasher is awesome because of its effect and high damage... too bad that those bullets need to hit the target first (correction, bullet since others will miss). Baby Maker... what do I say? Only good for throwing.**

 **Same thing with the cursed weapons. Orphan maker is the embodiment of the word "backfire", Manly Man Shield is useless because a lot of enemies use elemental damage, Midnight Star and Otto Idol are... no comment.**

 **Lq840i: If you are referring to the fact that I needed to give him more guns at the start then you have to know that I would be more than happy to do so. Unfortunately there are problems with that. Not only people would be mad at me for giving him a metric fuckton of guns, but some of those guns are either impractical or just ridiculous/useless. Take Madhous! for example. How do you think I could be able to write a fighting scene with that weapon? As for the weapon limit, I try to keep it simple. But I will add more weapons as the story goes on.**

 **Guest: Oh I do have a plan alright.**

* * *

Yet another new day at Remnant. Everything was calm, just as it should be. The nature is slowly waking up, the streets come to life, the academy-

FIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

Motherfucker.

Braylon was on his bed and was sleeping peacefully when an idiot used a whistle.

He removed the sheet from his head and groaned when he saw who was the idiot in question. Stupid Ruby and her stupid childish behavior. Looks like others agree too, if their reactions are any indication. Resisting the temptation to kill something, Braylon covered his head and returned to his sleeping.

"Morning sleepyheads!" Ruby shouted happily as she shook Yang who only groaned in response. "Today is another awesome day for team RWBBY!"

Weiss grumbled but she still decided that she would claim the bathroom first. However, Ruby noticed that someone was not up on his legs. She tiptoed to his bed and used her cursed instrument of torture.

At the horrible sound, Braylon shook under his sheet as if having a seizure.

" _She is the most cruel person on the world._ " He thought.

"Wake up, lazybutt!" She chirped as she shook him. "Today we are going to have a new adventure!"

"Leave me alone!" The poor thing wailed from his hideout.

"Come on!" She cried out. "Where is your sense of adventure?"

He suddenly popped his head out and grabbed Ruby by her uniform, pulling her closer to his face. She felt a mixture of fright and surprise.

"It ran away with my sense of humor! Now piss off!" He let her go and returned to his sleeping.

"Hey, if we woke up, you will too." Yang said as she came in defense of her sister. In reality, she wanted to sleep too. Curse you, sororal bond!

He pulled his head out again. This time he had the most marvelous deadpan anyone had the pleasure to experience.

"Let's make a deal." He said calmly. "We will forget this comedy ever happened..." His face twisted to express his anger. "...and I won't rip off your lips and throw them on the roof!"

"You are angry." Said Blake as she stared at the scene from her bed.

"Captain Obvious to the rescue!" He shouted as he covered himself with his sheet. He just wanted to sleep dammit!

"Braylon!" Ruby decided to take the problem in her tiny hands. "As the leader of team RWBBY, it is my duty to give you orders."

"Fair enough." He said. "And as my job as a independent human being, it is my duty to ignore you."

This was stressing Ruby to much. If this went on in the future, there could be a potential of mutiny. Ozpin said that they needed to form strong bonds as a team, but he just keeps refusing to cooperate!

Ruby sighed. "You are not making things any easier, you know?"

"I am not the one who wakes up people with a whistle."

"Get out of that bed, Braylon."

"Bite me blondie."

WHOMP! THUD!

" _Ouch._ " He thought as he found himself on the floor. Yang was more than happy to do it. And she had a good reason. He got his shit together and finally got up on his legs.

"Get dressed everyone! Class will start soon!" Ruby ordered.

"I'm not going." Braylon said.

"There is no "I" in team." Yang frowned as she crossed her arms.

"But without ME there is just AWESO." He smirked as he stared Yang right in her eyes.

Everyone, even Weiss, groaned at Braylon's antics.

Ever since Ozpin took The Bee, Mining Laser, Excalibastard and his Unforgiven, the gun he always had in his holster should something go wrong, Braylon felt depressed. Even more so when he found out that he was in (possibly) another reality/dimension... which was why he stole that bottle from the school janitor in the first place. This was simply too much. But nothing bothered him so much as the fact that not even a day passed when he got here and he was already forced to kill a few assholes. _And in a reality where they had no idea of his existence, no less._ He started thinking that being a Vault Hunter comes with a price that consists in everyone trying to make your life a living hell.

Just like being married. Same thing really.

Not that he was married, mind you. But right now even that looked more tempting than being in a team full of teenage girls with delusional tendencies.

He needed to find his weapons, before they fall into wrong hands because of that moron Ozpin.

But first, he needed to go to the bathroom.

Without thinking, he suddenly opened the bathroom door and rushed inside. He was so quick that none of the girls were able to either warn him or stop him.

AAAAAAAH! GET OUT!

Braylon quickly rushed out of the bathroom with a frown on his face.

"Psh. I am not screaming like that when I use her toothbrush to clean my toes." He complained. But then he got angry.

"You know..." He shouted as he opened the door slightly. "...you really don't have anything to cover! You know, being flat and all!"

He quickly crouched, thus evading a bottle of shampoo aimed for his face. Christ, an honest man cannot even go to the bathroom anymore.

He closed the door before Weiss decided to throw something else.

He was really mad now. He took his clothes and went straight for Ozpin's office.

* * *

DING!

Braylon waited patiently for the door to open. He then made a fast walk towards the desk of the headmaster. No one had even time to respond and Braylon already started asking for his weapons. He also noticed another figure new to him. Some guy wearing all white...

 _Holy shit._ _Holy FUCKING shit._

A _white_ uniform...

Braylon never noticed the looks he got from others. Probably because he was standing in place and staring at the man in white. Every inch of his body expressed hatred for the man, albeit he never knew who it was nor did he care.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" Braylon asked.

The man's pride seemed to take a hit as he scoffed.

"Is this the student you told me about? Hmpf, lack of discipline indeed. But if you must know, I am James Ironwood, general of the Atlas..."

Atlas. _Atlas. ATLAS._ No other words needed.

Braylon suddenly pulled out his Chimera, grabbed the man by his uniform, pulled him closer to himself and aimed the weapon at his forehead. It happened so quickly that no one had any time to stop him.

"Don't you move!" He shouted to everyone else in the room. "Or he can say goodbye to his life!"

At the moment, Braylon was having a mild mental breakdown.

He returned his gaze to the general... and pulled the hammer back.

"Tell me, _general_." He started. "How's the feeling of kissing your boss' ass day and night,hm?"

"W-what are you talking about?!" The general was baffled. "Ozpin!"

"Ozzy won't help you, buddy." Braylon responded. "Because if he does, I'll blast your balls off."

He then started laughing.

"It's ironic really. To be killed by the gun manufactured by the very corporation you work for."

"What?"

"ATLAS CRIMSON LANCE MOTHERFUCKER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW?!"

The general, Ironwood if I am right, looked more confused then scared or nervous.

"Whoa. Calm down kid." Qrow, albeit enjoying the scene to no end, tried to calm the psychotic teenager. "He is headmaster of Atlas Academy and not some "Crimson Lance" as you think."

Braylon slowly turned his head to Qrow. "...Say what?"

"Didn't you hear him? He said he is general of... ugh... Atlas military and the headmaster of Atlas academy."

Braylon raised an eyebrow. This guy is the headmaster? When he said that. Uh-oh. Nevermind. He only now realized that his ears went deaf when he mentioned the name "Atlas". And to make it worse, how could Atlas corporation be here when they went bankrupt?

"Oh." God, this was awkward.

Braylon looked at Ironwood and when he noticed that said general had a frown, he made a toothy grin.

Ironwood coughed. At first Braylon didn't understand but then he let the man go.

He now turned to Ozpin. The headmaster facepalmed while Qrow laughed his ass off.

"...So I'm not going to get my weapons back... right?"


	21. Escalation

**Can you believe this shit? 5 people voted Vault Rose and 5 the BraylonxRaven pairing (this may change by the time I posted this chapter). Looks like they are even... oh boy, cannot wait for final results!**

 **Dark Jutten: First of all, thank you for your comment. I really appreciate it. Kinda boosts my ego and makes me wanna write more.**

 **For the pairings, well... who am I to stop people from what they want to see. Yes, it will make my life hell and yes I will need to ask help for the romantic moments but hey... whatever makes the story more entertaining, I guess.**

 **What I do not agree with is how you described Braylon. He is not a bloodthirsty psychopath. More like a mentally scarred Pandorian teenager with really bad luck and/or curse. I don't like that stereotype. It's the same situation like in the 19th century where "modern white settlers" saw Native Americans as "savages" while no one bothered to take a better look at their lifestyle. Here you have people from other "civilized" planets where they can buy everything just by going to the store next-door who see everyone who lives on Pandora as a murderer/psychopath, despite no one even bothering to notice the unfortunate survivors. Pandorians live carpe diem style because they know that it may as well be their last moments before being yet another man/woman who fell in either "death by predator" or "death by gunshot".**

 **Life is hard, but life on Pandora is harder. Shortage of water or fuel (people use fossil fuels), lots of bandit tribes and hostile environment turned people in nothing more than animals fighting for scraps. Hell, people accept _guns_ as payment because it is the tool that will probably guarantee its user to live just a little longer. And humans, being a race that is excellent at not only ruining everything around them but also masters at annihilating themselves should they get powerful tools that would do the job, wouldn't think twice before shooting someone else, families be damned. It is only natural that in a such environment the philosophy of "either eat or be eaten" would prevail. Or like Hobbes said, homo homini lupus est (although here is taken out of context). In other words, Pandora is a perfect example that spits in the face of everyone who claims that "human brains are wired for empathy towards other humans". And as much as Andrew Ryan is a character from a game, sometimes the "we all make choices, but in the end our choices make us" turns out to be true (if my understanding is correct).**

 **Now take Braylon, a teenager who was _born_ on such place. How much do you think his innocence would last before he claims the first victim before he becomes said victim? And in order to prevent insanity, he made a coping mechanism (albeit a bit twisted one). Otherwise, he would become the male version of Tiny Tina. Just like a soldier who survived the whole war and was forced to do things he would never dare to do otherwise. What do you think would happen after said soldier returns home and gets enough time to think of all the horrors he had see and/or done? Either copes with it or finally breaks down. Cynical, gun loving asshole? You bet your ass!**

 **Pay attention to details. I didn't put the "kid who has on his face the look of someone who has far too many people on his conscience" for nothing. The story is named "A Chance to Live" after all. Take that as you will.**

* * *

"But do I have to?"

"If you want your equipment back, then I'm afraid yes."

"Fine." Braylon sighed. "Remember those people who attacked us? Right. They were... professional assassins with the goal of murdering me."

"And why would such good souls want your head?" Qrow interjected.

"Hmm... I _might_ have pissed off few people who hold great power..."

"Interesting, Mr. Braylon." Ozpin said. "But telll me, what did you do to make those people... angry at you?"

I dunno. Maybe because Braylon is a Vault Hunter who likes to torture villains ad infinitum?

"I have no idea."

Ironwood rolled his eyes. "It is clear that he is making stuff up. And for your information, that equipment is now officialy the property of the kingdom of Atlas. That means I personally decide if I want to give it back or not."

Okay, this was too much. Braylon felt the need to respond to this asshat. First impressions be damned.

"Listen to this idiot! He thinks he talks to one of his own." Braylon said to no one in particular. I think that Ironwood was thinking of adding Braylon at the top of his shitlist. Even more so after Braylon pulled his closer by grabbing his uniform.

"Listen asshat! You better give me back my guns before I decide to level your precious little kingdom."

"Such disrespect for your superiors won't get you anywhere, young man!"

"Maybe I should explain, if I want something, _I get it_. One way or another."

"Hmpf. You cannot have everything in life."

Ozpin coughed to get the attention. "What I wanted to ask was, do we have to fear the power of these men?"

"Well, they are in charge of one of the most powerful corporations in six galaxies so..."

Now Ozpin was surprised, as were the others in the room.

"Six galaxies?"

"Yup. Back in our reality, we managed to colonize six galaxies. So I guess you can pretty much realize just how advanced we are compared to you."

Ozpin now got what he needed. If they were so advanced as Mister Braylon claims, no wonder the technician came up with nothing. Although he was one of the best technicians this kingdom could offer.

But if they are so advanced to travel trough realities, what stops them to wage war against Remnant?

"How did you exactly came to Remnant?"

Braylon was actually thinking now. He had no answer to that question. His memory was still fuzzy. The last thing he remembered was him being on a large mountain.

"I... dunno."

"Is there a possibility to encounter more people from your reality?"

Now that was a good question. At first, he thought that the abandoned facility meant that a corporation visited this planet before. But now this was scrapped since Remnant is another reality. He doubted anyone was so smart to make a device capable of dimensional travel. Argh! So many puzzles!

"Hm... doubt anyone managed to use Eridian technology to that extent."

"Eridian technology?"

"Long story."

Ozpin sighed.

"Oh don't worry Ozzy! If something happens, I will take care of it! Not without being paid of course."

Qrow spat out the alcohol he was drinking while Ironwood's eyes became wider.

"Say what, kid?" Qrow wheezed. "You wanna get paid?"

"Pfft. Of course not! I will do everything for free because I am a robot!"

"So what, you are some kind of mercenary?" Ironwood asked.

Braylon immediately slammed his fist on the table as he bit his lower lip.

"Goddamit, who let this asshat in here?" Braylon complained. "I am not a damn mercenary! I am a Vault Hunter!"

"First time I heard of it." Qrow replied.

"Oh right, new reality. Well... a Vault Hunter is a... problem solver of sorts."

"Problem solver?" Glynda asked.

"Yeah... just like a Huntsman! Not for free of course."

"That's being a mercenary in my book." Qrow said as he took a sip of his alcohol.

"Actually, I take it back. I am _much_ better than a Huntsman." Braylon smiled pridefully.

"In what? Killing people?" Glynda crossed her arms.

"Well... _that_ and other things."

He got a glare.

"Oh come on! Like you Hunters are something better."

"We _help_ people."

"You mean, throw your life away for those who are lazy enough to not be able to help themselves?"

Silence.

"You people really are pathetic. You cannot save everyone, you know that right?"

"What would you know about it?!"

"Glynda..."

"Oh nothing. Except that I experienced first-hand how cruel "my fellow brothers and sisters" can become!"

"So instead of preventing them from commiting bad acts you kill them!"

"Yes I do! Because those who are evil will just try to find ways to be even more evil! So why let them alive when you can put them where they belong! Two meters underground!"

"And what makes you think you are doing the right thing?!"

"Who ever said I wanted to do the right thing? I don't poke my nose in the business of others. Actually scratch that. I _don_ _'t care_ if someone is good or evil. If it is my target, and if I get a pay, I kill him or her."

"I knew it! You are a murderer!"

"Glynda..."

"Call me what you want, I don't care. If you want to kill me, I will kill you. Besides, I get paid!" He proclaimed with a smile.

"And _you_ should be an upholder of peace? A protector of humanity?!"

"I GIVE NO FUCKS ABOUT HUMANITY!" Braylon exploded. "My job as a Vault Hunter is that of search and opening Vaults to get their treasures! Anyone who tries to stop me will meet their end! Be it God or man! But if you want to throw your life away because you want to help people that might be possible psychopaths in near future, then who am I to fucking judge?! Just leave me out of your crap!" He calmed down a bit and sat back on his chair. "God, I fucking hate idealists! They just think that if they waste their life away helping others, everything will be just fine and fucking dandy!"

"Geez, and here I thought I was the cynic." Qrow muttered. Braylon heard him anyways.

"Well, a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."

"Do you really think so Mister Braylon?"

"Please, Ozzy. Don't you start too. I am talking with facts. I don't shit out words for nothing."

"You see..." Ozpin started. "I made a lot of mistakes in the past. For some of them I doubt I will find redemption. But even I find it hard to believe that you hold such worldview. For a young man of your age to be so cynical is unheard of."

"You better get used to it Ozzy. But anyways, I want my guns back!"

"I will see what I can do."

Braylon sighed. This talk was to stressful for him.

"Then I guess we have nothing else to talk about." Braylon said as he got up from the chair and went for the elevator.

"Ozpin..." Ironwood turned to the headmaster. "If you know what is best for the kingdoms you will give that equipment to me. Just imagine the possibilities."

Ozpin only hummed in response.

* * *

RWBY of team RWBBY was tired. Really tired. So after the boring day of school they immediately returned to their room. Ruby was reading a comic book, Weiss was studying (as usual), Blake was reading the book that no one must know about and Yang... slept.

The girls were startled when the door of their room was slammed against the wall.

"Of course." Weiss sighed. "Who else?"

He was pissed. So much so that he was constantly complaining under his breath. He took a few steps and stopped.

"Is something wrong?" Ruby asked innocently.

His frown deepened as his head swung left and right. He needed a way to remove the stress. Luckily, Blake was here to help.

With a quick glance she noticed Braylon searching through her bookshelf.

"...Can I help you?" She asked hesitantly.

She widened her eyes when she saw him digging through her books.

"Oh my god." He said as he threw another book on the ground. "Who reads this shit?"

Everyone, except Yang, stopped wht they were doing and stared at him.

"Just look at this: Summer Symphony, Dancing on the River, Catch Her in the Rye..." He turned his gaze to the book Blake was reading. "Gimme that."

"Hey!"

"Ninjas of Love? Perfect!" He threw the book in the air, took out his Chimera and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

BOOM!

Yang woke up and jumped on her feet with her fists in front of her. Any emotion he had earlier transformed into confusion when she saw half-burnt paper flying around the room.

Braylon was still pissed off. It seems that making a shitty book go boom is not a perfect stress-relief technique.

He groaned as he went out of the room again. He needed to find another way.

Poor Blake. She almost started tearing up.

"My book..." She whispered.


	22. Guns, Questions and Answers

**I feel like I owe you an apology because I didn** **'t describe Braylon's weapons completely. I only mentioned their names, but never their prefixes. The reason for this is because due to every item in the games being randomly generated means also that two identical guns will still be different. For example, in my first playtrough of BO2 I got the "Rightsizing Bane" which gave a decent stats to the weapon. In the second I got a shock version of the same gun but with lower stats. The prefixes also seems to determine the attachments for each weapon. So what am I gonna do is show to you their "full names" so you can kinda have an idea of how these guns look like. Note that I will still in the story write them by their names only as I did from the beginning.**

 **Shield: The Bee (basically it looks the same with or without prefix)**

 **Grenade Mods: Meganade (no prefixes, explosive), Lobbed Pandemic (standard grenade without any special effects, corrosive)**

 **Small guns: RV31 Pearl Chimera (has a scope, six bullets), AX300 Bloody Unforgiven (Scopeless, 6 bullets, version from the first game), Hard Reboot (no prefixes, shock)**

 **Shotgun: Decisive Bullpup**

 **Sniper Rifle: Capital Omni-Cannon, Klook Trespasser**

 **Assault Rifle: Wild Damned Cowboy (iron scope), Dead-On Fusillade (red dot sight)**

 **Rocket Launcher: fwap a Nukem (holy shit it looks cool)**

 **Laser guns: Hyper Mining Laser, Excalibastard (no prefixes)**

 **So here we go. Hope you like it.**

 **Btw, I have something important to ask those who want the Ruby pairing. Can you at least tell me why? Is there a symbolic reason? A deeper meaning? Or you want to see it because it is something new? Please tell me I just want to know. Why not, say, Yang or Blake or Raven... or Weiss (oh god, nevermind this one)?**

 **One more thing, I realized that I can invent my own guns/items due to the almost infinite combinations of weapons in-game. Even going so far as to make custom legendaries or unique items. In other words, I have the full right to make the custom gun appear in the story.**

* * *

Braylon figured out that the only place Ozpin could place his equipment was at the "Forge", as students dubbed it. Basically, it was a part of the academy where students could either repair or improve their guns, try newest bullets and so on. The technician was there to help the students by giving tips or by doing things students couldn't.  
The staff encouraged the soon-to-be protectors of peace to visit the Forge daily, or at least once a week.

Braylon never went there. He didn't need to. Everything he needed, be it knowledge or parts, he had it already. He also thoguht that the technician was a dumbass like most of the people in Remnant. The fact that they used Dust instead of gunpowder made him mad everytime he thought about it. It is clear that gunpowder is far better than Dust because not only makes bullets go at supersonic speeds, thus making them more lethal, but it also doesn't have that crippling effect that Dust has: it works even outside of Remnant's atmosphere. But there is also another thing that was hard to swallow. And I'm not talking about dicks.

It seems that Dust and Aura go hand in hand. Basically, Aura guarantees the best possible protection against a Dust-based bullet. While it can't completely stop it, it can and will slow it down and thus crippling its usefulness even further. In other words, it becomes a shitty rubber bullet.

This also explains why Braylon was, and still is, so lethal against people of Remnant. Not a single thing in his arsenal has Dust in it. And while Aura can absorb the damage, it can't do shit to reduce it. That's why few bullets do the trick, especially if elemental-based.

See, this is what makes me sad. They invented fucking flying ships but never discovered gunpowder? Something that we discovered centuries ago, albeit being an epic fail? HA! And then I wonder why Grimm are such a threat.

Of course, even gunpowder has cons. For one, there is recoil which makes aiming quite a pain in the ass. Luckily, Dahl found a way to remove that. And there is also the need for ingredients to make the magic happen. This was also not a problem since Braylon stole all of it from the chemistry class. The only hard thing will be making grenades and rockets.

Anway, Braylon managed to find the Forge by himself. Nothing in particular. Large room, tables and so on. And then came the technician.

"Hello." He said happily. "What can I do for you?"

"Where is my equipment?" Braylon decided to skip the formalities.

"Right... and you are..."

"Braylon."

"Braylon what?"

"You wanna tell me where my equipment is or not?"

"Alright alright. No need to get angry. Wait a moment." He took his Scroll and started searching.

"Hmm... b... b... Here we go! Braylon. You... oh." He glanced at Braylon then back at the Scroll.

"Um... your equipment... right..."

"Yes. i want it back."

"Sorry kid. Can't do that."

"Why?"

"You need a special permission from the headmaster."

Braylon pulled out his Chimera and pointed it at the technician.

"Oh I have it alright! Not one, but six! And of caliber .38!"

The technician started waving his hands in front of himself. Good thing he had brown pants.

"Ah! Really good! Yes! They are over there!" He pointed at one of the metallic cabinets.

When Braylon went towards the cabinet, the technician sighed in relief. He would definitely report this brat to Ozpin. He noticed the kid having a confused expression when looking at its content.

"Why are they packed like that?"

"That? Oh, they were supposed to be shipped to Atlas."

" _Is that so?_ And why is that general here?"

"That gen- oh, you mean general Ironwood? Yeah... well... the rumor is that the general brought a small army with him for the upcoming festival. Well, that and because the law enforcement is... you get the idea."

"So they came here without asking or...?"

"That's Atlas for you. Think because they have the best technology around they can make the rules."

It's nice to know that this reality has its own version of Atlas corporation.

Braylon took his weapons and started walking away.

"W-wait. You really shouldn't go away with those things..."

"Why?"

"Because... it is against the rules?"

"Heh. Rules are made to be broken."

And with that Braylon slowly made his way towards the room.

* * *

When he finally got to his little paradise, he found out that the girls were gone. probably going at class or whatever.

With a sigh, Braylon placed both The Bee and Mining Laser on the workbench. First he would do some repair and then make some bullets. Ugh, I can see this is gonna be an interesting day.

Just when he was about to start, he heard the door open. It was Yang and Ruby talking about some fight with a guy.

"That was so awesome!"

"I know right! I wiped the floor with him!" Yang noticed Braylon sitting at the workbench and said hi. She got some incomprehensible noise that sounded a lot like a grumble. "Someone's grumpy sis... let's annoy him!"

Ruby immediately agreed and both walked over to the workbench.

"Doing something?" Asked Yang with a smirk while slightly slapping him on the head. Time to annoy her teammate.

"Was that a rhetorical question?" He replied coldly, not even bothering to move his eyes away from The Bee.

"Is that your gun?!" Ruby asked as she stared at the Mining Laser. She tried so hard to not touch it. "Can I-"

"No."

"Aw." Ruby pouted. "But, but the weapon! It looks so awesome! Ple-e-ease!"

Braylon sighed. " _I just can_ _'t have some peace and quiet at least for today, can I?"_

Yang, however, decided to pick the gun and give no fucks about his opinion.

"Doesn't look much to me." She said while constantly inspecting the weapon from all angles.

" _Of course it doesn_ _'t, birdbrain._ What did I say blondie?" Braylon huffed.

"Geez, no need to get worked up tough guy." She smiled innocently.

"If I said don't touch it, then there is a reason behind it." He responded. "And..."

"What's this?" Ruby asked as she tried to touch The Bee. Braylon immediately saw her tiny hand and slapped it. "Owie!"

"You." He pointed to Ruby. "Stop it." She puffed her cheeks and gave him a glare.

"And you." He turned to Yang. "Give it back. Now."

She smirked.. "And what if I don't?"

" _I will chop of your head and hide your body in the nearest dumpster._ I am in no mood for your stupid teasing, blondie. Besides, do you see that I am _working_ here?!"

She sighed. "Fine..." She slowly went to place it on the table. But when Braylon decided to take it, she quickly grabbed it again. "You forgot the magic words..."

" _Fuck you?_ What magic words?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you." She deadpanned.

"Oh, thank you and all good things. Now leave me alone."

She grabbed his left shoulder. " _Mean it._ "

"Let go blondie, before you loose that arm."

She now grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him up to her face. He just rolled his eyes.

"Let me remind you that you still owe me an apology for damaging my Bumblebee!" Her eyes turned red. "Scratch that, you owe us _all_ an apology! So you are gonna apologize, _and you will mean it_! Or you will gonna lie on the gorund like a rug, got it?!"

He chuckled as he grabbed her hand. "Heh. Many men more powerful than you have tried, and many more have failed." He slowly removed himself from her grasp without breaking a sweat, thus pissing Yang even more off. "You wanna know what happened to them, blondie?" She grit her teeth, already knowing that she won't like the answer. "The same that happens to anyone who tries to piss me off!" He raised his voice suddenly. "So I suggest you to back the fuck off because I am running out of good places to hide the bodies! Is that clear?!"

"How many?" She demanded. "How many lives did those disgusting hands of yours take?"

" _Far too many_ _..._ "

She came closer. "Answer me!"

He then punched her in the gut.

"I said **back off**." He repeated. He was already loosing the battle against his murderous rage.

Yang being herself, she jumped forward and tried to uppercut Braylon. He dodged to the side and decided to counter by clenching his hands together, raising them in the air and then hit her on the back and thus causing her to bend over, with her abdomen hitting his knee which he raised up.

While it didn't hurt her much, it did forced her to stop to catch some air.

"Ozpin was right. Waste of potential indeed." He smiled as he crossed his arms. She roared and decided to bombard Braylon with lighter but quicker punches. All of which were dodged by said person. "Look at this." He said as he dodged a fist aimed at his face. "Too predictable." He then dodged yet another fist which was aimed for his stomach. "Too showy." She raised a leg and tried to kick him. However, he calmly grabbed her leg. "Too weak."

Braylon pulled her closer, thus making a surprise. A very unpleasant one, I might add, as Braylon hit Yang in the throat with his right elbow and thus stunning the blonde berserker enough for him to end the fight.

He first gave her an uppercut, few left and right hooks and ,as icing on the cake, a roundhouse kick that made the blondie fall on the ground.

He smirked. "There. Who is now laid like a rug?" He watched his teammate who glared at him with rage. He just waved with his head, sighed and returned to his previous work.

Yang scoffed as she got up. Meanwhile, Ruby just stood there and watched the two fight, too afraid to do anything to calm the situation.

Oh man, awkward silence. Ruby, being the leader, had the duty to raise the mood.

The problem was... what was she supposed to say?

When Yang finally calmed down, she thought about Ruby's decision about dealing with their uncooperative teammate.

"I don't like you." She started. "Not even a little bit."

"Good for you." He replied offhandedly.

"Don't you think about those families who lost their loved ones? Would they cope with the loss? Do you even _care_?"

"Listen, for all I care, those men and women got an automatic divorce when their spouses died. So they shouldn't even be sad."

This surprised Yang. How could he be so heartless?

"Are you even listening to yourself? Do you actually think before you speak?"

"Of course I do. Unlike _someone_."

"Ha! Well sorry if I try to start a conversation with someone who is supposed to be my teammate!"

"Why don't you go bother someone else, then? I am not the only one in the team, you know."

"Whatever! Come on, Ruby. Let's leave Mr. Judge with his oh so precious weapons!"

Ruby tried to answer, but she stopped when she noticed Blake and Weiss entering the room.

"Hey." She greeted, but went ignored. "Huh?"

Both stood in the middle of the room and stared at Braylon.

"I think it's time you give us an explanation, Braylon." Weiss started.

"Really? And for what?"

"We searched everywhere." Blake responded. "Archives, internet, everything. Not a single bit of information about you."

"Guess I really am as invisible as I thought."

"Could you stop with your sarcasm and approach the matter differently?" Weiss said.

"Right. Because I have nothing better to do than to talk with you."

Blake glanced at the workbench. "Are those yours?"

"Yup."

"Which reminds me..." Yang started, completely ignoring Braylon who was biting his lower lip in frustration. "Didn't you have another gun back in the Emerald Forest?"

"...So?"

"How come you got this one and... whatever that is." She sheepishly pointed at the Shield.

"I have a lot of guns."

Ruby gasped. "Really?!" She squealed. "Can I see them?! Please!"

"Ruby..." He sighed. "I thoguht I already said no..."

"Oh please Braylon!" She begged. "Please! Please! Please! Please!"

Ugh! Fucking kids!

"Fine! Just leave me alone!" He shouted as he materialized all of his arsenal on the workbench.

While Yang was surprised to see so many guns, Ruby couldn't contain herself anymore. She had such a big smile and her eyes shined brighter than stars in the sky. She quickly proceeded to bring them all (thanks to Braylon and Yang) on the nearest table and started examining one by one. An occasional gasp could be heard from time to time. She would even try to pick them up but some of them were to heavy. Most notably, the Nukem and the Fusillade. Braylon watched as she took the Damned Cowboy, gasped, and tried to aim with it.

"Careful, those are loaded." He warned as he returned to his job... only to be interrupted by Weiss.

"Why do you have so many guns?"

"Why not?"

"That's not an answer!" She huffed.

"As a friend of mine once said, you can never be too rich, too good loking or too well armed."

Yea right. "Friend". As if he was anyone's friend... unless he/she spoke about money.

Yang scoffed. "You are just paranoid."

"Dunno what "paranoid" means, darling."

"And why do you need so many guns?" Blake added.

"More guns equals more chance of survival."

"I'm pretty sure one guns does the trick." Yang replied nonchalantly.

"For you maybe, since you are not the brightest human being around..."

"Are you saying I am stupid?"

"You said it. Not me."

"This is so awesome!" Ruby shouted as she stared at the Unforgiven. "How much did it took to make all these guns?"

...What?

Braylon turned to Ruby. "I beg you pardon?"

"Did it took a month? Two?"

"Are you stupid or something? I didn't make any of those."

Now _she_ was confused. As was everyone else.

"You didn't make any of those guns?" Blake asked. "How did you got them then?"

"Oh you know, took it from the cold dead hands of their previous owners, received them as payment and so on."

"Wonderful!" Weiss angrily shouted. "Simply wonderful! So you either stole them, or received as payment for jobs!"

"Jobs that involve killing other people, right?" Yang added.

Braylon now turned to them. "Are you all retarded? Why would I bother making my own guns when I can let the corporations do it for me?! And they do a pretty damn good job."

While offended, Weiss still replied. "Because by making your own guns, you know the what is best for you and thus you become synchronized with it! You learn this stuff at the very beginning of your training!"

"And by using the guns you made by your own hands," Braylon said. "you become useless in your own job because you have no idea how to make them in the first place! All you people care for is to show what you are capable of! And not how to use a gun properly!" He pointed at Weiss. "Look at you! You use a fucking extra large toothpick! In the age of _bullets_!"

"Hey! My Myrtenaster has more than enough power to defend myself with!"

"Yea, try stabbing a sniper that is fifty miles away with his gun pointed at your head!" He laughed.

"And what do your weapons have that ours don't?!"

He pointed at the gun that Ruby was holding, which was the Excalibastard.

"See that gun? That multi-million dollar gun is called Excalibastard and it is a laser rifle-"

"So you have a sci-fi ray gun. I am impressed." Yang snarked.

"For the idiots, a laser is a beam of electromagnetic radiation that burns everything it touches. Normally, this is what a laser does. But not this gun. This rifle is designed to convert the elctromagnetic radiation to do the exact opposite, which is to _freeze_ everything it touches. All thanks to the Eridium-based methane battery that is used for powering it. That, and the elemental converter found inside the weapon itself."

Why the description went over everyone's heads, due to him using terminology unknown to them, Ruby was so excited that she started drooling.

"From the looks on your faces, I can clearly see that you didn't understand a word of what I said. Which is why I forbid you monkeys to touch any of my guns. They are generations above the current technology you have on your planet."

"Hey guys." Jaune said from behind the half-opened door. "I heard shouting so we came to check on you..."

Braylon sighed, knowing that he wouldn't get the chance to finish his work. At least, not today.

* * *

 **I would like to thank Panzer4life for helping me out on this chapter. I seriously need help with the conversations. Especially when it is Braylon interacting with others. Also, sorry for waiting so long but I had stuff to do.**

 **Anyways, I decided to stop it here and continue the conversation in the next chapter. No need to make giants.**


	23. Humiliation

**Did you know that all these chapters are still happening before the episode one of volume two? No? Now you know. Told you this one is gonna be long... and probably a bitch to write. But I will make it! I will reach volume 3! So, moving on!**

* * *

It is a known fact through the whole academy that JNPR and RWBBY are very close friends. Actually, only four memebers of RWBBY were friends with them. Guess who isn't.

Now, Braylon didn't really hate JNPR. But it was clear to him that they were misfits.

First you have Jaune who is a fucking white knight and has no idea how the world actually works. Not to mention his complete lack of skills. Skills that would ensure the survival of his teammates should they find themselves in a mortal danger. You can already see that the team is doomed from the start.

And then you have Leonidass. She is a tournament champion... and nothing else. I am not saying it is necessarily a bad thing, but i doubt that people like her would pull the trigger to kill someone, even if their own lives depended on it. So easily breakable.

There is also this Ren guy. Say what you want but it actually takes balls to be constantly near the fourth and last member of JNPR.

Oh... my... God. This hyperactive, mentally unstable, hormonal teenage girl named Nora. She could make crazy even the most calm people known to mankind.

The first thing she did when she entered the room was gawk at the pile of weapons, only to teleport near Braylon and questioning the shit out of him.

At this point Braylon wanted to repeatedly smash his head on the workbench. This was a real torture.

" _MAKE IT STOP!_ " He screamed internally while trying to ignore the annoying teenager. Thank heavens there was Ren to calm her down. Like I said, big balls.

Jaune, however, had a different reaction. His jaw dropped on the floor.

"Who..."

"Mine." Braylon replied.

"Why would someone need so many guns?" Phyrra asked politely. If she was impressed, she didn't show it. Just like Ren.

"We found out that our teammate is paranoid." Yang said.

Braylon rolled his eyes and tried to return to his work.

"And none of those are made by him." Blake added.

"And he took those by assassinating people!"

Okay, now that gave a reaction. Even Ren was surprised.

"Don't feel bad, princess. Everybody must die sometime."

"It's _heiress_!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You are not even a real royalty."

Weiss scoffed and turned away, clearly offended by his statement.

"Who are you to decide who lives and who dies?" Phyrra asked.

Ever since the first day she met him she felt that something was wrong about him. Now that she learned about how he acquired his equipment, she had a reason to be angry at him.

"I am the guy with the gun." He replied.

"I fail to see any kind of logic."

"Of course you do. Look, just leave me alone and let me finish my job, thank you very much."

Meanwhile, Ruby couldn't let go of the Excalibastard. Sure, the gun was heavy, but it looked so cool! She noticed a button near the trigger. Curious, she pushed it and the gun clicked. This immediately got Braylon's attention.

"What are you doing?"

"Um... I just pushed a button and..." She trailed off, staring (as everyone else) at a weird looking capsule ejected from the gun.

"It's alright. Just push the battery back down and close it."

At first she didn't do anything because she thought she would break something. But then she was more than happy to follow the instructions he gave her and closed it.

While others returned to their arguments, she tried to aim with the gun, only too find Nora being way too cloose to her and staring at the weapon like crazy.

"What gun is that? Is it good? Oh, oh! It shoots rockets?!"

"N...no. It is a laser gun, as Braylon called it." She hummed.

But back to the others...

"Aren't you bothered by the fact that you have blood on your hands?" Phyrra started. "And why did you even do it? What kind of monster can do what you did in Vale?"

"So much big words..." Braylon raised his hands in front of him. "I like to see it as... necessary evil."

"Necessary evil?" Weiss asked.

"I just did what I had to do. That's all."

"But why?"

"Forget it, White. Doubt you would understand it."

"Like you would! Just look at you!"

"Yeah?" Braylon frowned.

"Didn't your parents teach you that every human life is valuable?"

"My parents died when I was young... but at least they didn't ditch me when they were alive like yours did."

And from there, shit went downhill.

Weiss was so offended and surprised that the face she made was priceless. But note that she never denied any of it.

"Ho shit!" He smiled. "Was it a bullseye?! It was, wasn't it?! HA HA! Serves you right!"

"How... _dare_ you?"

"No!" He shouted as he pointed the finger at her. "How dare _you_!"

He slowly rose from the chair and started walking towards her.

"Who the fuck do you think you are to judge others from above? I'll tell you who! A spoiled, prideful..."

He now reached the heiress. There was so much tension in the air that if someone lit a match, the whole room would explode.

"Smug, prissy little shi-"

SLAP!

"Ouch..." Yang muttered.

He just turned his head again towards her. His lips curled into a frown and then into a small smile as he watched the floor. He quickly wiped his nose with his finger and then placed both of his hands on his hips. He then kocked his head as he stared at the ceiling, silent. He then returned the slap with a mighty backhand.

Not only did the slap echoed through the room, it also threw the heiress to the wall.

"Wiess!" Ruby shouted as she dropped the gun on the floor and raced towards her teammate.

"Hmpf. You are a big fucking joke. All of you." Braylon calmly said as he dematerialized his weapons and went out of the room.

* * *

" _That... BITCH._ "

Braylon never felt so humiliated in his life. He was actually blushing from embarassment.

She deserved every bit of that comeback. Every bit. About time she learns her place.

But no. _No_. People like her never change.

He stormed through the hall and went for the locker room. The place was quiet and devoid of life since no one bothered to find themselves here at the moment. Perfect for him to have some alone time.

He found the nearest bench and sat on it. With a long sigh he materialized The Bee and Mining Laser so he could get them working again.

While working on them, Braylon was constantly thinking.

He was thinking about how it all came to be. How he became what he was today. But most importantly, he was thinking about that day. That damn day when something inside of him just... died. As if he became a completely new person for a moment. The details eluded him. Back then it was a trauma. Now it is just a memory he wished to forget.

Actually, he was wondering what would happen if that day never came to be. What if that day turned out to be different? Would he be different? Or would he still be a Vault Hunter?

He was also thinking about Pandora. Back there, he was free to do whatever he wanted. If he wanted to kill a bandit, he could. If he wanted to hunt treasures, he could do that too. It was freedom!

But here... here things are different. Everyone freaks the fuck out when they see someone die by the hands of another fellow human. Just imagine what would they think when they would see that same person loot the body for better equipment.

This whole "Huntsman" thing is a big pile of shit. Another excuse to do what other people from the past failed. Who the fuck do they think they are? Keeping peace? Are they gods or something? To think that an individual has power to drastically change the whole human nature is fucking ridiculous. A comedy, a farce, a god-damn satire bloated by heavy amounts of irony.

It was always like this! Humans are wolves to each other! So was back then, so is now and so it will be! Bigger fish eats the smaller one! Either you eat or you get eaten! Why bother saving someone else when you have your own life to take care about?

Just look at them! I bet no one who wants to be a Huntsman never thought about the bigger picture! Everyone wants to be a high roller and yet everyone forgets that there must be someone who will clean those toilets!

And then this rich whore with daddy issues... why is she a Huntress? To show off? To be even more rich? To prove to others that she is capable?

Whatever it is, the goal is obvious: to boost her fucking ego. How could a person like that even comprehend people like him?

After he finished, he decided that he needed some time to cool off. So he logged to the internet to see if there was any interesting event.

Oh-ho! Take a look at this. The owner of the Schnee Dust Company will tomorrow come to Vale due to the grand reopening of one of their shops.

At first, Braylon was bewildered... but then his lips slowly formed a smie.

The worst thing Weiss could ever do, was to slap him. Oh boy, how she fucked up. Yes, sir. I think it is time that our little heiress learns an important life lesson: you only realize the worth of what you had only after you loose it completely.

Tomorrow, Weiss Schnee will finally understand one old Pandorian saying that everyone learns from day one.

Hell hath no fury like a Vault Hunter that takes things on a personal level.


	24. Ambush

**And the poll is closed! The winner is... Vault Rose! With 7 votes! The Raven ship was close, with six votes!**

 **Anyway... Vault Rose is, then. Note that this poll will not necessarily mean that it will be in the story. I am saying that, should there ever be romance, it will happen between Ruby and Braylon. Understand? Good.**

 **Dark Jutten: To be honest, I am trying to find a balance in word amount per chapter, so I am kinda experimenting. And since most of these are fillers, I feel like they should be short to not bore the reader. As for the change of heart thing, well... I will not judge.**

* * *

The plan was perfect, according to Braylon.

If everything goes as planned (which possibly won't), he would get two birds with one stone. First, he would get his revenge against that spoiled brat. Second, he would get revenge against Ironwood (which will possibly include the whole Atlas kingdom). Why Ironwood? Well, there is the fact that the bastard wanted to send his guns to another kingdom to study them without asking first. Not that he would get a positive reply, mind you. But still...

He divided the plan in two separate "operations": Operation A and Operation B.

Operation A is the answer to Weiss problem.

Since daddy Schnee will come to Vale today, Braylon worked the whole night to get prepared. It was simple. Get in, kill daddy Schnee, and get out. If he was correct, this would be a massive blow to the company. Not only that, he would be clear of every doubt because he could blame White Fange due to the fact that they hate Schnee so much.

It would be a win-win-win situation if you think about it. He would get revenge, Weiss would finally learn the lesson and all blame would fall on the terrorists. Perfect!

His musing was interrupted when he saw Weiss approaching him. What does _she_ want?

"Hey, Braylon..." She said quietly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"I... may have been rude and..."

Is she trying to apologize? Pfff HAHAHA! That is a good one!

He smiled. "Go on."

She looked sad. I can't believe I just said that.

She was uncomfortable, if fidgeting and the look of sadness were any indication.

"...Please forgive me..." She weakly sighed.

Hm... this is going to be funny.

"No."

She looked up to him, surprised.

"Why that face, princess? You thought I would just accept your poor attempt at apologizing and walk away as if nothing happened?"

"But..."

"Let's make things clear, princ- no, sorry... _heiress_ , you and I will never get along. You know why? Because we come from different positions. I come from a place where the only way you could live was to fight like an animal with everything you got. You come from a family that got rich by mining Dust, where you got everything you ever wanted just by asking."

"That's not true!"

He scoffed. "Yea right. And I am the king of England."

"What?"

"The point is!" He quickly waved with his hand. "That's a lie and you know it."

"Really? I suppose _you_ do know something about my family that I don't."

"Ever looked in the mirror? Even a blind man could point it out."

She stomped with her foot and got away. Just like a little brat that she is.

Right. Back at work! Daddy Schnee won't kill himself.

* * *

It actually took more than expected. Five hours of preparing, analyzing and so on.

Out of all options, he decided that he would snipe the fucker from a building. Luckily there was a hotel just in front of the shop, on the other side of the street.

Just as he thought. Faceless guards everywhere. On the roofs, on the street. Too bad that Braylon paid a room in the hotel. He also gave a little extra to have their mouth shut.

While the hotel itself was nothing special, it did have a room with a window where he could get a clear shot. He took the Trespasser, since it proved to be effective against Aura, loaded it, and waited for the target to come out.

Everything was going smoothly and yet he felt that something was off. This was easy. _Too_ easy. Is daddy Schnee so dumb that he would actually expose himself in such stupid way? He probably knows that the White Fang would definitely love to see his head on a wooden stake. So why?

Unless... daddy Schnee is not actually daddy Schnee.

The crowd cheered when they saw a black car moving towards the shop. It kinda resembled one of those limousine cars which rich people love so fucking much. God, what aristocrats won't do just to express their superiority over filthy paesants.

The car stopped and one man (bodyguard?) came and opened the door. The crowd started shouting like crazy, followed by flashes of cameras.

And there he was. Daddy Schnee. My God, he looks like male version of Weiss. Same white hair, same blue eyes, same fucking pride. All of it. If Weiss was a bitch, I would love to see what daddy was then.

He stopped in front of the door, cleared his throat and started speaking. Typical corporative bullshit. He was happy that he opened a shop in Vale, he would get money and blah, blah, blah.

After twenty minutes, Braylon noted through the scope some weird movement in the crowd. A man, pushing people away so that he could reach the front row. Braylon hummed. Would this guy be the reason why his plan will fail?

Yup.

The man suddenly jumped out of the crowd and dashed towards daddy Schnee with a knife in his right hand. Said man had a tail.

White Fang.

Braylon knew this would happen. He knew that the White Fang wouldn't waste an opportunity like that. No sir.

And yet, he was unprepared. Not surprised, unprepared... and furious.

The only man on Remnant who would be the one to kill daddy Schnee would be him! Not an animal! Not a nobody! HIM!

The dickhead was just a few meters away from his target when his brains got splattered all over Schnee. By the looks of it, he just got a trauma.

Close enough. Time to get the hell outta here.

Braylon cursed mentally. The plan got fucked up badly. He wanted to have the privilege of placing a bullet between those blue eyes. But to have it, he was forced to kill the terrorist.

Hell was unleashed outside. People started screaming and running away while Schnee (or his double) ran towards the car. As soon as the fucker entered, the car started driving down the road.

On a roof of a nearby building stood a man with a rocket launcher. He aimed and fired a rocket. Said rocket was not aimed at the car, but rather in front of it. The driver probably crapped his pants as the car crashed into a wall.

Just then, Braylon came out of the hotel. He heard the explosion and the violent crashing of the vehicle. His eyes started rapidly moving left and right, hoping to find the culprit. He found it due to Braylon noticing a brief flash on a roof. By looking through the scope, he noticed that the terrorist wanted to fire yet another rocket.

"Oh no, you won't!" He shouted as he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew through the air and into the target's skull. This guy won't get up anytime soon.

A group of White Fang members emerged from the shadows of an alleyway, armed to the teeth and with only one goal in mind.

For Braylon, this became frustrating. Mostly because of massive irony that is happening right in front of his eyes and he can't do shit about it if he wants to kill the target.

He tossed a Meganade-modified grenade near the group, which completely surprised them. Before anyone could escape, the strong singularity pulled them closer to the source only to explode with such power that chunks of meat were attached to the walls.

Removing that problem, Braylon ran towards the car. Daddy Schnee came out, stunned and bloodied.

"Call Beacon!" Braylon ordered.

"Wha...?"

Braylon sighed. "Call the fucking academy! Tell Ozzy to send some reinforcements!"

"Yes... yes..."

"Good. I'll watch for-"

A bullet zipped near his head.

"Shit!" He shouted as he tackled the man on the ground. "Get back in the car! Quick!"

Braylon quickly raised his head and tried to find the worm who wanted him dead.

ZING!

He quickly moved his head down.

He couldn't see shit. This sniper was on a way better position than him. He could find him, but then he would have to leave the car, which is a no-no.

More footsteps could be heard. Meaning more terrorists want a piece of him.

Not that he would give himself for free. Quite the contrary, he would sell his skin at the highest price possible.

( **AN:** Play the combat music from Hyperion Hub of Heroism.)

He made a quick glance towards the source of the noise and saw a group of them behind a car. Probably a dozen.

He materialized his Omni-Cannon and took a deep breath. Braylon then jumped out and fired at the car.

BOOOM!

Ah, the symphony for his ears. But it seems that two, perhaps three, survived, if their cries of pain were any indication.

From a window, a bastard with a rifle started firing at now exposed Vault Hunter.

That piece of shit was to intelligent to be an ordinary White Fang member. Just look at him, he fired two bullets and then hid.

Instead of hiding, Braylon waited for the man to show his face again. And he did. He quickly lost it.

Oh come on, I just told he was intelligent and this asshat proved me wrong. No fair.

"Yo, listen up!" One of them shouted. "We only want Schnee! Give him to us and we will let you live!"

"Sorry, but he is on my shitlist!" Braylon responded as he fired in a random direction.

One female member managed to sneak behind Braylon. She fired with her SMG at his back. He (faked) a yell and fell on the ground. Thinking that she killed him, she smiled and made a few steps forward... until Braylon suddenly turned around and placed a bullet from his Unforgiven into her left eye.

"Gotcha." He said and moved behind the car again. He decided to check up on daddy Schnee.

"You alright?" He saw a nod. "Good."

ZING!

" _Fucking sniper!_ " He frowned. " _Fuck it._ " Braylon materialized his Nukem and waited for the sniper to fire again.

BANG!

Here we go. The asshole is in a nearby building.

Braylon suddenly jumped up aimed at the building and fired.

KABOOOM!

Damn. The whole street lit up like a light bulb while the building exploded and got replaced by ruins. Bricks started raining from the sky. The explosion also shattered the windows of nearby buildings and smashed nearby cars into tin cans. And who could forget the possibility of dead civilians? Braylon dismissed it as collateral damage.

Just in time! A flying ship was slowly approaching the battlefield. This means he needed to leave before he got discovered.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

* * *

"So much for planning..." Braylon muttered, kicking a tin can in the process. He was now walking in an alleyway. All that time wasted on planning went into smoke.

But it wasn't all for nothing. It actually gave Braylon some time to think.

Could it be that he went a little to far with this one? Killing the father because the bitch slapped him? Rage really did clouded his mind this time. Who knows what would happen if he actually killed him? And what to say about the revenge against Ironwood? Ah, nothing spectacular... just blowing up the main Atlas armory and thus delivering an ass-whoop that people would honor for generations. All because he took his guns?

He sighed again as he lowered his head. If only they understood him...

But wait, what's that?

Curiosity struck him as he noticed something... blocky and metallic laying near a dumpster. He made a few steps closer so that he could get a better look at the thing. And when he finally realized what it was... his jaw dropped.

A broken Claptrap unit.


	25. Mistake

" _Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our program! This is Cole Henderson, and we got some fresh news for you fine folks!_ "

Braylon sat on his bed and stared at the robot who was laying on the ground in front of him. He wondered how did a Claptrap unit came here. Yet another mystery to solve.

This unit was colored in cyan instead of standard yellow but the white stripe was the same. From the looks of it, it seems to be in a very good shape and yet it is not active. Braylon decided to bring it back into the academy (of course, without anyone noticing) and try to turn it back on. If it turns out to be a typical Claptrap who has serious problems with dancing well... did you know that moving targets ain't cheap?

Without further ado, he decided to get to work.

" _According to a newest report, violent crime is expected to rise even more in Vale, due to shortages of law enforcement. In response, general Ironwood from Atlas has decided to send Atlas military to deal with the problem._ "

Braylon whistled as he took a screwdriver and slowly opened the panel of the robot.

" _In other news... yesterday, an assassination attempt at the head of Schnee Dust Company, Jacques Schnee, was stopped by an unknown third-party, who is presumed to be the one who called the Huntsmen from Beacon. According to an eyewitness, quote, Oum sent a guardian to protect Mister Schnee, said guardian carried a .308 caliber justice dispenser with a telescopic sight. The assassins, which are confirmed White Fang members, were killed by said party, according to the authorities. It is currently unknown how said party managed to escape despite the heavy presence of experienced Huntsmen-in-training._ "

Braylon chuckled. Everything was fine. But it still doesn't work! Frustrated, Braylon placed a hand inside the robot. When he pulled it out, he noticed that a pair of pink women underwear and a Claptrap plushy were hanging from it. He scratched his head.

" _This just in... Residents of a small settlement located in Mistral report seeing a column of light appearing out of nowhere. Apocalypse predictors haven_ _'t been this excited since the Great War._ "

Braylon shut the radio on his PDA and grumbled. Fucking Claptraps. All right. Time for the desperate measures.

Braylon took from his workbench a few things and returned to the Claptrap. First thing he did, he tossed some scrap metal in the insides of the unit, then some bullet casings, some century-old gears, a ruined motherboard, a light bulb, some batteries and an electrode (which he stuck on one of the probably unimportant panels). He then took out his Hard Reboot and emptied a whole clip into the innards of the robot, only to quickly close it all.

Yeah, that should work.

He waited for a bit. After fifteen minutes, he kicked the Claptrap. Nothing.

"Come on, work you son of a-"

BONK!

"OW! WHAT THE ****!" The tin ca... hm... robot started shaking as if having a seizure. It would then jump on his wheel and stare at the wall while waving with its hands. "WHO THE **** DID THAT! SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Right behind you." Braylon replied nonchalantly.

The Claptrap unit quickly turned around and immediately froze in place. His red robotic eye staring at him.

"****! SERIOUSLY?! IS THIS HOW MY SUPPOSED BROTHERS TREAT ME?!"

"Calm down-"

"TELL ME YOUR NAME!" He threatened. "TELL ME YOUR ****ING NAME!"

Braylon sighed as he facepalmed. "Ugh... Braylon."

"REALLY?! WELL **** YOU! FROM NOW ON, YOU ARE FLESHBAG! DO YOU LIKE THAT NAME?!"

Braylon deadpanned. No wonder people hated Claptraps.

"Can you at least stop screaming?"

Claptrap ignored him. "WHO THE **** DO I HAVE TO SUCK OFF TO GET OUT OF THIS ****ING PLACE?!"

"Listen, I am not going to hurt you..."

"YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME? YOU THINK THIS IS A ****ING GAME?!"

After a brief moment of silence, Claptrap saw the plushie and pink panties on the workbench.

"Is... WHOA! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOOK THAT FROM ME!" Claptrap was surprised. Although you cannot really tell by his voice. "THAT'S ****! WHO SAID YOU COULD DO THAT?"

Okay. Time to end this comedy.

Braylon lifted up the robot.

"WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! WAIT A ****ING MINUTE!"

"Listen up, tin can! If you don't stop screaming and calm the fuck down in the next three minutes, I am gonna take that personality module into a sexbot!"

Claptrap gasped. "YOU SICK ****!"

"Better yet, instead of a sexbot... I'll put it into a dildo!"

Claptrap gasped even more.

"So that you spend your whole existence as a fucking-toy for humans!"

If Claptrap could faint, this was basically it.

"OKAY! OKAY! JUST... please let me down... please? Thanks."

As soon as his wheel could touch the ground, Claptrap quickly rolled to the workbench and grabbed both the plushie and panties. He opened up his "mouth", placed those two things on it and closed.

"If you ever tell anyone about this, I'll ****ing castrate you."

"Right. So... you have any special designation or...?"

"My designation CL4P-TP. For you, fleshbag, it's Claptrap." He replied proudly.

"Alright." He nodded. "Everything good?"

"Yeah, yeah. 's all good! Now get me the **** outta here. I got **** to do."

"Not gonna happen."

"Say whaaaaat?"

Braylon leaned closer. "Listen, we are not on Pandora. We are on a totally different planet, which is not belonging to any corporation."

"Then what ****ty backwater planet is this?"

"Remnant."

"Hm, search results yield no answer for "Remnant". You gotta be ****ing kidding me."

"Yeah, people here are retarded."

Oh wow. Even Claptrap was taken aback.

"Oh boy, fleshbag! I don't think we are allowed to say that word!"

"Claptrap, I am not making fun of differently abled. I am stating the fact that people on this planet are so technologically underdeveloped, they they are de facto retarded. They don't even have gunpowder."

"Okay, that's actually ****ing sad. I feel sorry for them."

"Yeah. And therefore, if they see you, they might freak out."

"Like I give a ****! Let me out, NOW!"

"Ugh... How about this, tomorrow I give you a free trip to the town. Fine?"

"Tomorrow? TOMORROW?!"

"Deal with it."

Claptrap sighed. "Piece of ****..."

"You do know that you robots can't think, right?" He asked Claptrap, who was rolling towards the bathroom.

"You don't ****ing say." The robot replied before he closed the door.

FLUSH!

"Hey! These guys have a working ****ter! Awesome." Claptrap exclaimed, although his voice was muffled.

Braylon facepalmed. He felt like he was gonna regret this decision. Sooner or later.

Well, at least he had a personal robo-butler. Although he needed to modify the "asshole" circuits.

Braylon mentally cursed when the girls walked into the room.

"Where have you been?" Weiss asked.

"Everywhere."

She scoffed. "Well, because of you skipping the class, we were punished."

"...So?"

"I would like to see _you_ being scolded by professor Goodwitch." Yang said half-heartedly as she jumped on her bed. "Wake me up when it's Saturday."

Blake also jumped on her bed. However she decided that she would spend the rest of the day reading that damn books of hers. You know, those that _some asshole_ didn't blow up.

Weiss, like the prideful bitch that she is, sat on a chair and decided to do homework. I guess she has nothing better to do.

Ruby was another story entirely.

She came closer to Braylon.

"Bray..."

" _Braylon._ " He corrected.

"Right, Braylon, sorry..." Ruby apologized quietly.

"What do you want?"

"You know, I was thinking about some projects for your weapons and-"

"Stop."

"But I have them just here with me and-"

"Ruby. Stop."

He then crouched.

"My guns are fine, thank you. No need to worry your little head about 'em. Got it?"

"But I-"

He shushed her by placing his finger on her lips.

"No. Need. To. Worry."

She pouted as she gave him the puppy dog eyes.

"Nice try, Red. Won't work."

She tried even harder. He frowned as he placed his right hand on top of her head, turned her around and lightly pushed her away.

Just then, Claptrap came out of the bathroom... with an oil can in his hand.

"Yo, fleshbag. We're out of lube. Think we can buy some more tomorrow?"

The Claptrap stopped when the girls (minus Yang) turned to the source of the voice.

"Ooohh, right. Retards..." Claptrap said as quietly as he could. "Sorry fleshbag." He rolled back to the bathroom.

"What... _was_ that?" White inquired.

"Never saw a tin can on wheels?"

"****ing heard you, bastard!" Came the response behind the door.

"I don't give a shit!" Braylon replied.

"**** you!"

"Fuck you too!"

"I would if I could, you son of a bi-"

"Can you _stop_ with the profanities?!" Weiss shouted. So much that it woke Yang up, which she imediately took as a sign of conflict and raised her fists in front of herself.

"What's happening?!"

"Nothing blondie, go back to sleep."

She groaned and smashed her head back in her cushion.

"I'm sorry princess. I forgot you want me to use sesquipedalian loquaciousness during our brief exchanges of thoguhts. Got it, old sport." He mocked.

"Hey! Stop speaking like an asshole!" Claptrap shouted.

"Kiss my ass!"

"Shave it, first."

Oh, _damn_. Even Yang woke up and tried to stifle a laugh.

"Okay, that's it! Now you've done it!" Braylon said as he entered the bathroom. "OH! OH MY GOD!"

He immediately went out with his eyes closed.

"Got karma'd, *****."

"Just wait till I find a sexbot."

Okay... that was awkward.

Yang turned around, surprised. Actually, she was _beaming_.

"Forget it, blondie!"

"Oh, _kinky_." She winked at Braylon, who blushed from embarassment.

"Dear Oum." Weiss placed her face in her palms. "I am going to spend _four_ years with them..."

Curiously, Blake blushed. Not surprising, when she reads those stupid books.

"Ew, gross." Ruby complained.

"Can we all forget that this ever happened?" Braylon asked.

"I know who won't." Yang chuckled.

" _Anyway_..." Braylon seethed. "...I am going to take that robot around town tomorrow."

"Why?" Asked the leader.

"Because that's the only way that will make him shut up."

"I'll think about it."

"Pfft. You kidding me? Since when do I take orders from you?"

"Since when we got placed in the same team!"

"Sorry, kid. Ain't gonna happen."

"But... but..."

"Hey! You better respect my little sis! If she decides to say no, then she means it!"

"Oooh, taking orders from female fleshbags? That's a paddlin'."

Braylon frowned. "I'm _not_ taking orders from her."

"You _will_."

"Make me."

"Guys!" Ruby tried to calm down both parties. As always.

"Yang, I won't say you are stupid... but when you see the word "concentrate" on a cartoon of orange juice, you can't help but stare at it!" He laughed.

Yang grit her teeth as she jumped out of her bed and right on Braylon. Both were now trying to outmatch each other.

"Please help!" Ruby begged Blake and Weiss, who just sighed in response.

However, Claptrap had other plans.

"Ten bucks on the fleshbag!" He cheered as he opened the door.

Yup. Yet another normal day with team RWBBY.


	26. A typical day in Vale

The next day, Braylon and Claptrap went to Vale, as promised. Hopefully, it would make this Claptrap unit so happy that he will finally stop being annoying... emphasis on hopefully.

Since Claptrap is a robot who does not come from Remnant, every citizen they came across had their eyes locked on him. Sometimes it would be a look of confusion, sometimes of amazement and sometimes to make fun of him (the last one was welcomed with a robotic middle finger). Cats would run away, while dogs thoguh he was yet another public toilet. Obviously, this would piss Claptrap off. Thankfully, Braylon was there to stop him from starting some bullshit.

In other words, it was boring.

"Yo, fleshbag." Claptrap said. "I really need that oil."

"What for?"

Claptrap smacked him in the arm. "Moron! We robots have needs too!"

Braylon rolled his eyes.

Then, his stomach grumbled.

"Ew, disgusting!" Claptrap exclaimed. "Why are you doing that?"

"...I'm hungry."

"And I should care or something?"

God, what an asshole.

"How about we make a deal?"

"What deal?"

Braylon noticed a small shop which sold meat, not far from them. He grinned.

"See that shop? You go distract the owner while I steal some food."

"Why would I? What do I get in return?"

"Oil."

Claptrap immediately accepted and they both fist-bumped.

The robot immediately rolled towards the door, which made a ringing sound when opened. Braylon came few minutes later.

Just seeing all the meat made Braylon drool. A large ham was hanging from the ceiling near the counter, as well as some sausages. The owner was a fat and bald man who just so happens to be already distracted by cutting some meat. Claptrap came near him and started speaking.

"Hello flesh... hm... fellow human! I am from "Inspect-o-meat" company and I am here to... inspect your meat!"

The owner was confused. Braylon came closer to the food.

"But... an inspector came just yesterday and..."

"I know, I know! But this are our standard procedures! So, please move away!" Claptrap slightly pushed the owner and stared at a large dried steak. "Hm! Too dried!"

"But... it is supposed to be dried..."

"Really?! Gosh, you humans are so weird..." Braylon moved his eye slightly and noticed Braylon who already took the food and was slowly heading for the door...

Until the owner noticed him.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" He shouted.

Claptrap rolled near Braylon and quickly opened the door.

"RUN FOR IT!" Braylon shouted at the top of his lungs as they both started running. Few second later, the owner came out with a knife in his hand, pissed off that the kid stole his food.

"Come back here! I just want to see you better!" He screamed as he started chasing the duo.

"Then get some glasses fella!" Braylon replied.

For Braylon, running took most of his thinking power because he needed to find a way to escape from the mad butcher. However, that didn't stop him from noticing a couple walking in the opposite direction. One, the girl, had green hair and red eyes while the man had grey hair and black eyes. What a weird couple.

"MOOOOOOVEEEE!" Braylon shouted, which startled the two. But they did what he said anyway... and then they saw the angry bull of a man chasing them down with a knife.

"This place is so weird." The girl said.

The man looked at her and started laughing.

"What's so funny?!" She asked. Her mind quickly came to the conclusion when she noticed that she felt slightly... _lighter_.

"Son of a -"

* * *

At last, the two hid in an alleyway. As soon as his lungs started working normally again, Braylon quickly began chewing on his prey like a fucking rabid dog.

"Humans eat with their mouths? UGH! I think I'm getting the urge to vomit... if I had a gastrointestinal tract, that is." Said Claptrap, who forgot again that he can't think.

From the various disgusting sounds, Claptrap recognized a hum of acknowledgement.

"Ever thought that the fat **** could call the police?"

"Wiped 'em."

"What?"

Braylon gulped. "I said I wiped them out."

"Now he is just making **** up... to impress a robot, of all things."

Braylon stopped eating and deadpanned. "No, really. I got rid of the flatfoots."

"Big deal. Would like to see you with them using the gunpowder."

"They had guns. But they used Dust."

"Dust? What dust?"

"Right, I forgot. These people use a thing called Dust. Which is actually not bad for a cheap knock-off of Eridium. But when applied to tools, the weapons basically become confetti-shooters. Which reminds me, do you have a gun?"

"'Course I do! I'm not a softie as those dip****s of my brothers."

"Can I see?"

"Sure." Claptrap opened his mouth and extracted...

A Tediore SMG.

Braylon deadpanned even more (if it is possible). "That's not a gun. That's a brick."

"Ah, excuuuse me, sorry to burst your ****ing bubble, fleshbag; but not everyone can afford a ultra-cool gun!... Just letting you know... in case you even give a ****."

"But why _that_ of all things?"

Their conversation was interrupted when a man with a small girl (both Faunus) came out of nowhere and near them.

"Please, sir." The man begged. "Give us something to eat."

Claptrap decided to step in.

"Say what? Who the **** are you? And why do you have those horns? Were you born with a defect or syndrome?"

The man lowered his head, sad by the offensive talk of the robot. The little girl hid behind his leg.

"No seriously, look at that mug! At least grow some of that disgusting facial hair and cover half of it up!" He laughed.

Even Braylon felt ashamed. But never said anything.

Claptrap then pointed his SMG at the man, who made a step back in fear.

"So go away before I decide to be less nice."

"Claptrap!"

The robot fired a few warning shots at the man's legs, forcing him to turn around and run away with the little girl. Claptrap waited for a moment and pulled out a modified grenade from his mouth.

"Claptrap... what are you doing?"

The robot didn't respond as he prepared the grenade.

"PIKACHUUUUUUUUU!" Claptrap shouted as he tossed the explosive, which turned into a _lightning bolt_ that went straight for the man. Upon being hit by the grenade/lightning bolt, the Faunus was zapped with such power that the electricity even _went out of his body_. The girl screamed in terror as, probably her father, got disintegrated into a pile of ash.

Braylon's jaw dropped. Not because the robot killed the possible father.

"How'd you do that?!"

"A little magic trick." Chirped Claptrap. But when he noticed the little girl crying, he got scared. "****, we better get going, fleshbag!"

As both prepared to leave the alleyway, Braylon glanced once more the sad sight. He paled when he also saw something else.

He had no idea what it was. And honestly, he didn't want to know just like he didn't want to know why it was standing near the little Faunus. It was covered from head to toe in black, tattered clothing, thus being totally hidden from curious eyes. But what was more creepy, was the fact that it held a scythe in one hand. Said hand was... nothing but bones. A skeletal hand.

Thinking that he was hallucinating, Braylon rubbed his eyes and shook his head. And when he finally opened them again, the thing was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"...so remember Claptrap. This is a city. And as every city ever, this one also has some small acts of awesomeness." Braylon saw a cash machine. "For example, take a look at this." He approached said machine and kicked it with his leg. The machine buzzed and spat out Lien. "WOOO! Money! Hell yea!"

"Yes, that's great and all, but let's go buy that ****ing oil now!"

"Then let's get moving."

"Actually, you go buy that oil and I'll go buy... a box of milk! Yeah!" Having said that, Claptrap rolled away.

Braylon shrugged and continued his walk until he reached a small store where the owner sold things for computers and various machines. When he entered, he smiled innocently.

"Greetings, mister! Could you lend me that oil can? I really need it."

"Not even if you die in front of my feet. Either you buy or you close that door!" The owner smugly replied. Turd.

Still smiling, the young Vault Hunter pulled out his Bullpup.

"Would you change your mind if I said that I need that oil can for a robot or if I show you this symbol of peace, automatic, with 19 shells, 12-gauge? Choose!"

"I made up my mind! You can have it."

"Thanks!" Braylon chirped as he went out of the building.

* * *

Claptrap was busy doing something else. More precisely, he searched for someone who would buy these nice pair of guns he stole from that human chick back there. If everything went good, he would swim in money.

And here it was. In those poor parts of the city.

'Joe's! We buy, we sell, we steal!' Said a sign on the door.

Claptrap, without knocking, rolled into the shop and met a midget of a man with a big nose and strange red hat. Uglier than sin itself.

"Whaddya want?!" The man coughed.

"Would you like to buy these babies?" Claptrap showed him the guns.

The man grabbed the guns, slammed them on a nearby table a couple of times and hummed loudly.

"Good lookin'. Bad quality. Ten Lien is more than enough."

Claptrap grumbled but accepted anyways.

He also remembered he needed to get some milk, so that fleshbag doesn't get suspicious. Luckily there was a small convenience store nearby.

Now, despite being a machine, Claptrap still could feel disgust. Which he actually did when he entered said shop. While Vale his its own version of megastore, it also had smaller shops where you could buy most basic food so you don't starve. Of course, a person (or in this case, a machine) such as Claptrap was very skeptical of the products. As everyone sane would be.

Ugh, beer boxes randomly lying around.

He rolled to the 'Dairy' section, picked up a box of milk and went to pay the thingy. Unfortunately, he was to small to be noted from behind the counter. Not that he cared.

The cashier was minding his own business when a box of milk slammed it on the counter.

"All right. I'm taking this box of fluid milked from a dog in a back-alley. How much?"

The poor cashier blinked when he heard the voice and yet saw no one.

"Are you blind or completely stupid?"

Another customer came and started speaking with him.

"Hey, down here! Who are you talking to?! I'm here, damit! Where the **** are you looking at?"

Both remained silent.

"No, really? You ****ing with me? Seriously?"

RATATATATATA!

And the customer fell on the ground, dead. Suddenly, a box with a wheel and red eye jumped on the counter.

"You ****wit, I'm gonna teach you a lesson!" The box shouted as the man desperately started walking backwards. Soon, he felt the cold wall behind him.

Claptrap, instead of firing, tossed the SMG at the cashier.

BOOOOM!

"Jackass!" Claptrap said as he stared at the giant red stain on the wall. "So you will learn how to behave for the next time. Oh, I meant to say, if there is ever gonna be a next time."

* * *

Braylon got tired of waiting. What took that little tin can so long?!

Every now and then he would look at his PDA. Time was moving very slowly and he didn't like being in the middle of a street like this.

God damn it! This is why you never let a Claptrap do anything! Despite, ironically, being a steward bot. No matter the easiness, they always find a way to screw it up. Hell, they evenn _warn you_ when you put them in charge of something expensive. Who made them was a fucking moron. Or really obsessed with dubstep.

Deciding that he wouldn't wait anymore, Braylon decided he would spend some time at the prestigious library of Vale.

You have no idea what is going to happen.


	27. Fire at the Library

**First, I would like to thank you all 50 favs/80 followers for your support! It really helps knowing that the army keeps growing day by day and chapter by chapter. But we are far from the ending. No sir! Keep in mind that this is still pre-episode 1 of volume two. Which means this is definitely going to be longer than Season 1. God knows what ideas will come in the future!**

 **Also, because of the growing popularity, I decided to start a forum (same name as the story) where fans are free to post topics about it! If you have troubles finding it, then go to my profile where you will see the link.**

 **But enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The library wasn't hard to find. After all, it was one of the most eye-catching buildings in whole Vale. The architecture resembles a mixture of Baroque and few modern styles. Whoever was the creator of this place, they surely gave everything they got on the estethics. Lord knows how much money was spent on it. Just two marble statues in front of the large wooden door must surely cost a lot, with all the minor details made in pure gold. As for the statues themselves, I guess they show two Huntsmen, one male and one female, if the swords and armor are any indication.

A, possibly homeless, man was singing on his trumpet near the stairs that lead to the doors. Poor man.

"Hey." Braylon said. "If you shove it up your ass, that trumpet will play much better!"

The man shouted profanities at the young Vault Hunter who started walking towards the door, laughing loudly.

When he opened said door, a warm wind blew in his face, followed by the sight that would make anyone drop their jaw.

While on the outside it was built in stone, from the outside everything was made of wood. Stairs, bookshelves, tables. Not one thing looked worn-out or old, as one would probably think it would fit in a place like this.

The bookshelves were large and each had a crazy amounts of books of all possible sizes and colors. It kinda resembled more of a national archive. A really expensive national archive.

There were also rows and rows of tables. Most of them occupied by people who stared into their books as if obsessed by their content.

Braylon whistled.

" _Okay..."_ He thought. " _This is gonna take a while_."

Like in every respectable library, this too should have been silent. Note that I said "should have been". Allow me to explain.

Braylon decided to go on the second floor of the library. While cursing how this library is, quote, gigantic like a fucking castle to the point that you can easily get lost, he decided to search for any book that would be somehow useful to him. Maybe something that would give a description on how Dust worked or how humanity evolved here. Stuff like that.

" _Hmm..._ " He quickly passed through bookshelves with a quick glance. " _Romance, Thriller, For Those Obsessed with Sex, Self-help..._ "

Some of those probably hide like secret doors or things like that. Harry Potter can suck it.

After half an hour of searching, he finally came to one that could be really useful.

"Let's see... 'How to cheat the kingdom'... 'How to cheat those who cheat the kingdom'... 'Silver-Eyed Warriors'?... what the..."

Braylon took the large book and sat near a table. He started reading.

" _Those who have silver eyes are said to be born warriors. The most accepted theory says that this phenomenon occured long before the creation of Huntsmen, and that people who had such trait were the worst enemies of the Grimm."  
_  
Braylon immediately called bullshit, dismissing this book as a creation of a conspiracy theorist. What? Now people who have certain eye color are the master race? Just wait for the moment when these people proclaim that blond people with blue eyes are the dominant human race on the planet. Just wait for it.

Interestingly, Braylon also had silver eyes but due to an... incident. According to his parents, he was born with a rare syndrome called 'Bascomb-Kreutzer syndrome', which would cause a "malfunction" with the eyes. Basically, it would cause them to rot and thus saying goodbye to sight forever. But this only happened if it wasn't cured. If cured, it would leave a very weird side-effect. It would cause the irises to turn silver.

But parents would never lie to their children... right?

A sudden appearance of a cat brought him back into reality. It sat on the table in front of him.

"Meow."

"Hm? How did _you_ get here?"

The cat purred when he caressed it. Curiously, the cat had black fur and yellow eyes. It kinda reminded him...

Of Blake.

Of course! She is a Faunus! I fucking called it!

Those yellow eyes, the twitching bow, the movement... everything about her screamed "cat!". Why didn't he understand sooner?!

He also heard something. Someone chanting loudly.

Checking to see the source of the noise, Braylon saw a group of protesters downstairs. They were holding signs and screaming things like "save the trees, burn the books".

Ecologists. Wow. Never thoguht I would saw one.

Of course, not ecologists as scientists, rather ecologists as protesters. One of the worst kinds out there. Same shirt color. Same thinking...

Even worse, their cult-like chanting is not a good sign. This place is made of wood. If they decide that arsonism is the best option, he is screwed.

Luckily, there are sane people out there who will probably do something. So yeah, not his problem.

Braylon decided to go for another walk to see more of this place, the cat being always by his side.

At one point, he started getting headaches. Really nasty headaches. Nevertheless, he decided to move on.

He walked near a table and saw two people. They slowly turned their heads towards him. He frowned when he saw them.

One of them was bald and had a hole in the forehead which was constantly oozing blood. That demented face was the worst thing. Mouth agape, several teeth missing and few purple spots on the cheeks.

The other one had a head that looked more of a squished tomato than actual head. The blood was everywhere and the horrible guttural sounds it constantly emitted would probably send several people to therapy.

"What are you looking at, asshole?!" One of them growled. "Get out of here... blergh..."

Braylon cringed but wasn't disturbed. Things like that tend to happen to him.

He also saw a corpse of a woman laying on the floor in a pool of blood. Her eyes staring at him.

"How... much... more..." The corpse whispered. He shook his head and went on.

He was now in front of a door, which he opened. He soon found himself in a barely lit room with tons of disgusting trash laying everywhere on the ground. Then, one voice started speaking.

" _Oh my, look who we have here!_ " A voice of a female whispered, her voice echoing around the room.

" _About time he showed up!_ " Another voice (belonging to a man) spoke loudly.

" _Do you know who I am? Or you simply don_ _'t care? Like you didn't care for everyone who crossed paths with you._ " Said a third voice. This one was particular. While it was also that of a man, it was as if two people spoke at the same time. One young and gentle while other deep and almost demonic.

"You are not real." Braylon responded, his eyes staring into the darkness.

" _Is that so?_ " The female replied, which will call "X" for the purpose of understanding this madness.

" _Then how do you explain our encounters in the past?!_ " The angry voice, "Y", shouted.

"I never met you before!"

" _Oh, but you did."_ X replied.

" _Even though your last trip was... a mistake._ " The third voice, "Z", added.

"But I don't know you!"

" _Do you need to know everything?!_ " Y asked. " _People these days..._ "

" _But the more important question is... do you know who_ you _are?"_ Z asked.

" _Before you respond, take your time. It is not an easy question, you know?_ " The female added.

"Who else would know better than me?"

This was getting out of hand. People might mistake him for someone who escaped out of a mental hospital. But how to end this nightmare?

" _You are like a bird in a cage. It thinks its free, when in reality, it is everything but free._ " The third voice calmly said. This one seems to be in charge of things around here. " _Look at you... do you still don_ _'t remember who I am? Or better, what_ I _am?"_

 _"Perhaps we should leave it like that?_ " X interrupted Braylon, who was about to respond. " _After all, knowledge is power._ "

" _And that same power might end up being a burden._ "

"What do you want from me?!"

" _Me? Nothing, really. They? They want you back... to where you rightfully belong._ "

" _You are not a nice person! You make me sick!_ "

" _Do you at least know how you got here? I think you are starting to make a picture... wonder if it is accurate, though._ "

" _You seek answers. But you won_ _'t get any from me. Everything you deserve are more and more questions._ "

" _You deserve to suffer! You deserve what you got!_ "

Braylon, wanting to end this conversation, turned around and went for the door.

It was locked.

" _As expected._ " Z said. " _As soon as you receive a problem, you try to run away. Or solve it through violence. So typical for people like you._ "

"Go away! Leave me alone."

Z sighed. " _As you wish. But before we go, I will leave you with four... predicitons. 'I'm not what you think I am.', 'He is alive.', 'Someone will betray you.' and... 'You will soon return to your prison.'... that is all. Goodbye._ "

And with that, the three voices suddenly stopped speaking and the darkness soon vanished, thus returning everything back to normal. Just like it should be.

Something's wrong. It was hot. Too hot. And the smell...

Even the sound is weird. Huh, kinda reminds me of barbecue.

BARBECUE?!

" _Oh shit..._ " Braylon kicked the door open. He gave a quick 180 look to check if something is wrong.

"Hands up, asshole!"

Yup. There it is.

A woman threatened Braylon with a shotgun.

He pulled his Unforgiven from the holster and fired two shots at her direction. He missed, however, as the woman was fast enough to jump behind a bookshelf.

Fuck, it's one of those dendrophiliacs. God knows what the fuck they are up to.

Braylon waited for the bunny to pop its head out in the open. And when it did, he blasted it off with a bullet.

" _I have a feeling that I_ _'ll have to use violence to get out of this place..._ "

But this dickheads couldn't just go bother some other kindgom? Mistral seems to like whales a bit too much.

The young Vault Hunter decided to run towards another section to see what is this comedy about. Just when he passed a bookshelf, a bullet almost blasted his nose away.

Shitting himself, Braylon decided it would be a good idea to remain behind cover until the threat has been eliminated. He decided to peek.

" _Crap, the library has been set on fire!_ "

One man, who used a wrecked bookshelf as cover, saw him and decided to give him a welcome innvitation.

BANG!

The shot, while missing Braylon, tore a large hole through his defense. Papers started flying everywhere.

This was supposed to be a peaceful day, for fuck's sake!

The kid decided to try something relatively new. He suddenly jumped out from his cover and on the ground a la Max Payne. This move completely surprised the attacker who wasn't quick enough with the trigger and received a bullet-piercing between his eyes.

( **AN:** Play "Synergy" from KFDDA. )

Moving forward, Braylon encountered three more subjects who had a death wish judging by the woman who shot him with her puny handgun.

"Sorry! Your vegetarian bullets can't hurt me!" He laguhed while materializing his Bullpup. "Now I'm going to stuff you with lead!"

The automatic shotgun quickly removed two ecologists from play, as the pellets tore through the wooden walls and bodies with ease.

"I don't give a fuck about greenhouse effect! I'm farting so much that only my ass has enlarged that hole by several kilometers!" He shouted as the shotgun kept firing at the third target who, crouching, went from cover to cover. "Come forth, you who dared to shoot me with that pea shooter! let me see your ugly face!"

He stopped firing, thus making the woman think he was reloading. As soon as she jumped out, he gave her the Swiss treatment with the last four shells in the magazine.

"Didn't make all this way to die in a fucking library..." He muttered while reloading.

He was now in the biggest section on the second floor. Much of it is already devoured by fire. So he had to go right. A man tried to stop him, but a bookshelf fell on him... and also blocked the path.

" _Everything_ _'s falling apart here!_ "

The good news was that this section was designed as a square with a hole in the middle, so that you could spy on others who read right below you. Without wasting time, our badass "hero" jumped down and landed on a table, thus breaking it like a toothpick.

Bullets started flying towards his direction, forcing him to flip a table and use it as cover.

"Kill the enemy of nature!" One of them screamed.

"For Mother Nature!"

Alrighty, they are a bit more wiser than their comrades from before. These guys are well hidden and armed to the teeth. The only way to take them down was to use a sniper rifle.

And what better rifle than the glorious Omni-Cannon?

"Meow."

" _Wut?_ "

Hey, it's the cat!

"Where did you go? How did you find me?"

"Meow."

"Right. You can't speak."

"Meow."

"If only I knew a way to kill them without drawing attention..." A grin appeared on his face.

Wait, what are you- oh no. Oh my fucking God.

I swear, sometimes Braylon can go full-retard.

Oh man... how do I put this... he shoved the barrel of the gun in the poor cat's ass. Does he think that the cat is gonna be a perfect silencer or something?

"Rawr!"

"Sorry, I don't like it either... but shooting an ecologist, through a cat, is priceless." He was now concentrated on the group. "Disgusting worms! No one will stop me! You didn't understand shit from life!" He then pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The cat exploded into a thick, dark-red cloud, thus giving away his position. The retard also got blood on his face and clothes.

Good job, moron.

"Fuck!" He yelled.

Now what? He could use explosives but it is risky. There is a chance that the building will fall down.

Meh.

Braylon tossed a Meganade-modified grenade. It completely destroyed not only the scumbags but also all nearby furniture, thus ending the fight and allowing the kid to run for the exit.

* * *

When he got out, he noticed that half of the fucking world had gathered around to stare at the sight of the (once) prestigious library in flames. There was also Claptrap. For some reason.

"Flehsbag?!" Claptrap shouted. "What are you doing here?!"

"Was bored. Reading. Fire."

"Woah. Get some air first!"

"Yeah... yeah..." Braylon inhaled loudly. The fire department had just come to clean the mess. At least they got one.

You know, seeing a building engulfed in fire is a taboo on Pandora. Honestly, being a den for psychopaths, where people survive thanks to the beer made from a flying animal and/or water from cacti, when someone learns about a place being set on fire, first things first, they pray that it's not their house, and secondly, they laugh their ass off instead of helping the victim. Even asking your neighbor for a pinch of salt may result in murder.

"Why the **** do you have that blood all over you? Come on, we need to clean those clothes."

"You are right. Let's go... before another bunch of idiots show up."

What a shitty day.


	28. New Methods

To many people, Ozpin was a mystery. To his associates, Ozpin was a man who knew his job. After all, to fill the role of headmaster one must know a thing or two, right?

Now, Ozpin is not only a headmaster. He is also a Huntsman who takes his job very seriously. Which is why he has access to every camera in Vale. The shallow might think that he acts as a sort of Big Brother who is a control freak with a desperate desire to spy on everyone. Of course, the reason for such means is much deeper.

It is a known fact that Grimm are attracted to negative emotions like flies to rotten food. Big emotional intensity means more Grimm will try to find the source. Not only that, there is also the danger to awake those types of Grimm which are much stronger (but also more rare) and more _intelligent_. To prevent that, one must be forced to cover up any and all events that would otherwise create mass panicking among the population. The problem is, how can one do such a job in a city as big as Vale? Why, to have access to every camera of course.

But there are events that are impossible to completely hide. Case in point, the police department scandal.

Or a prestigious library being set on fire.

Things like that were bound to happen sooner or later. Of course, better later than sooner. But it's an undeniable fact that all of this could have been prevented sooner.

If only he knew sooner about Mister Braylon.

Even thinking about a plan to execute such atrocity was already a quick way to get a migraine. And yet Mister Braylon succeeded where others would definitely fail. So the question is, how did he manage to kill everyone in that structure?

Where people would feel angry and had the primal urge to take justice in their hands, Ozpin felt only sadness.

Sadness because, as a Huntsman, he failed to protect the very thing he swore he would. Sadness because he knew how much catastrophic consequences this act would bring. Sadness because he himself felt the pain that every family would feel. And finally, sadness because of Mister Braylon himself.

Believe it or not, out of all range of emotions, Ozpin felt sadness for the teenager in question. Where a "normal" teenager would be devastated by grief over their actions, Mister Braylon was... passive, almost robotic. He accepted it as a fact of life, something that wasn't worth the humanity that every individual has from birth. And the way he approached it when they were talking was just too hard to bear, even for a man like Ozpin.

For Ozpin this begged the question: "What did you saw, or did, or felt that turned you into... _not-human_?"

Who, or what, took it away from him? What made him into a broken _monster_ that he met that day?

Ever since he encountered the kid, he felt something different emanating from him. And he never bothered to hide it. He wasn't behaving like any teenager would (and should). He wasn't smiling, he wasn't meeting new people and he never bothered to even start friendships. Instead, he was always serious, isolated and much more mature than he had any right to be. The only time he ever truly revealed himself (at least partially) was at the intiation. The way he fought the Grimm in the Emerald Forest was concerning. He fought to kill. Not for self-defense, but to kill. The whole fight seemed like... as a way to purge himself of any hatred, sadness or other negative emotions that he bottled up. A pain that must have been shared with the enemy. Objectively, he was very effective, to the point that he might have been even more efficient than Miss Nikos. But when did ever humans approached something objectively?

And so Ozpin swore to himself that he will find out every bit of his student's life. He _will_ show him the right path. And he must do it quickly, before things take a turn for the worse.

Despite its abundance, none of this information really helped. He needed to start from the very beginning, if he actually wanted to do something.

Ozpin took a Scroll and called Braylon.

"What?"

"I want to see you in my office, Mister Braylon. That's an _order_."

A long sigh. "Fine. Be there as soon as I can."

* * *

"Fuck you!" Braylon shouted few seconds after Ozpin ended the conversation. Heh, conversation. More like an order, than anything.

While many people are all bark and no bite, Ozpin sure has power to back up every argument. Or even threat for that matter. Actually, Braylon thought that out of all people he met here, Ozpin definitely takes the cake when it comes to ass-kicking... despite nobody ever seeing him in a fight. So it's not a surprise when the young Vault Hunter decided to fulfill the headmaster's wish... order... whatever.

There is just a small problem though.

He needed to get clean clothes. And fast, because the local population is freaking the fuck out.

Two ways to do this. Either he buys new clothes (which is a no-no), or he cleans those he already has in posession. Without much thinking, Braylon picked the latter and to his relief, Vale had laundries around every corner. But that's not the hard part.

The hard part is to actually find one. No, wait, let me rephrase that. It's hard if you are Braylon, who relies on his magical device a bit too much.

Please, try to look at it from his shoes. Back on his homeland, being lost was more common than finding a Skag. There are no natural indicators, such as moss or sun (because the planet gets sunlight from its natural satellite named Elpis), that one could use as a substitute for a compass and not everyone has the benefit to get an ECHO. Those damn things date back to the era of Dahl fiefdom. No Pandorian knows the meaning of "relying to much on technology". But I digress, as always.

" _Where the fuck is this shitty laundry?_ " He looked at the screen. " _The map says it_ _'s here..._ " Now he stared at the sign that was hanging above the door. " _But this is not a laundry. This is a fucking arcade!_ "

"Yo, fleshbag!" Claptrap pulled Braylon his clothes. "There it is!"

At first, Braylon raised an eyebrow and then moved his head towards the place where Claptrap pointed at. Turns out the laundry is on the other side of the street. Few meters away from him. With a big "LAUNDRY" painted on its wall.

Well, in his defense, he couldn't know that this pile of stinking shit could really be a laundry.

Braylon kicked the door open and both came inside. The first reaction of everyone (minues the duo) was to gawk at the amount of blood that Braylon had on himself. It was soon followed by a cacophony of incomprehensible screams of said civilians who rushed out of the building, fearing for their lives.

Claptrap, annoyed, started shouting about how his companion was definitely not a psychopath, despite all evidence that said otherwise. At least the owner should be a reasonable person, if his stoic face is any proof. I bet that the guy is screaming internally and cursing his luck.

"Hello, friend. Before you make any judgments, try to understand me."

"I suppose the young lad had an... _incident_ , am I correct?"

"Scratch that, just listen. I need to wash my clothes."

"That would be seventy Lien."

"What?! Seventy Lien for a wash? You fucking fraud, I'm gonna-"

"Wait, fleshbag. I got this."

Claptrap moved closer to the man and took out his Tediore SMG.

"Hey dirtbag! Today you are about to retire!"

Having said that, the robot proceeded to unload several bullets in the man's torso, who only let out a barely audible yelp before dropping on the ground.

"Did you really have to kill him?"

"If you don't like it, go **** yourself."

"Ever stopped to think that I might have problems because of you?"

"Like I give a ****! What happens to you is your problem. I have a life of my own."

"Oh yeah? How about now?" Braylon drew his Unforgiven a placed a bullet into ther metallic body of the robot.

"OW!" Claptrap shouted. "That's it! Now you've ****ing done it! I'm out!" He said as he rolled towards the door.

"Great friend you are, Claptrap!"

"Here are some news for ya, I'm DONE being a friend of a stinkin' fleshbag! From the day we met, you treated me like ****!"

"Because you are a rude son of a bitch!"

"ENOUGH! I will get my revenge, just wait and see!" And with that, he went out.

Braylon didn't mind him leaving. The tin can will return for a few days after all the steam goes away from his memory bank. Or when people from Vale become so annoyed by his presence that they'll banish his robotic ass for good.

"Right. Gotta clean my clothes." Braylon muttered.

* * *

Some time later, Braylon finally reached Beacon and went for Ozpin's office. Unlike the other times, now there were only the two of them. No one else to interrupt their discussion.

"What's up Ozzy?" Braylon waved with his hand.

"Please, take a seat." He replied calmly. "Mister Braylon. Do you mind me asking a couple of questions?"

Already knowing what he meant by that, Braylon simply nodded. He was too tired to argue.

"Excellent." He took a sip from his mug. "I would like to know your perspective on why is there evil in the world."

This question was unexpected. Still, Braylon quickly replied.

"Maybe because humanity doesn't deserve better. Maybe, just maybe, humanity can only learn through the hard way about things. Maybe, just fucking maybe, I have no idea why."

"I see." Ozpin sighed. "I'm sure you are smart enough to understand that I'm trying to help you..."

"Not this again..."

"I'm not your enemy. And neither are the teaching staff or your teammates." He stopped for emphasis. "But how can I help you if you refuse it constantly?"

"I don't need help, okay?! I just need to go back to my own planet!"

Ozpin wasn't buying any of it. Years of leading generation after generation of teenagers made him quite a master in the art of understanding said teenagers.

"And what is your planet like?"

"I really don't wanna talk about it..."

"Please, Mister Braylon. We both know that you can't go on like this. I may not have the necessary knowledge to understand the painful burden on your shoulders, but believe me when I say that it doesn't have to be this way. That burden can be easy to carry if you share it with others."

Braylon resisted the urge to chuckle. "And what do you know about burden?"

"I know, because I too did things that I'm not proud of. It didn't stop me from doing my work both as a Huntsman and headmaster."

Now Braylon leaned closer to the table. "No doubt about it. You really don't have any idea. Just like the others."

"Then why don't you tell me?"

"Because the less you know about me and my origins, the better. Trust me, it's not pretty. And I forgot a lot of it. Probably a good thing."

"You sound so... mature. Maybe _too_ mature. Even for your own good."

"Somebody has to clean the toilets..." Braylon muttered.

"Mister Braylon... you leave me no choice."

"What... do you mean?"

"I'm afraid I'll need to send you to a therapy session with the school psychologist."

"No way! A shrink?! I'm not crazy!"

"I constantly get complaints from both the teachers and your teammates. Refuses to cooperate, doesn't attend classes, the list goes on."

"Well, I didn't decide to sign up for Huntsman job, thank you!"

"But I gave you an opportunity. A chance. The question is, will you take it?"

Braylon sighed resignedly. "Fine. Just leave me alone."

"Thank you. You're dismissed." 


	29. Diagnosis

**I will remind you once again that if you have something to share, to discuss, or else, you can go to the forum of the story and start a topic. Keep in mind that you can post anything as long as it is connected to the fic. The name is the same as that of this fic so it shouldn** **'t be hard to find.**

 **Bane: Well, that trait is only a part of what makes him a killing machine that he is. If you read the story, you may also noticed other key factors.**

 **Accelerator Chan: Unlikely, since he is viewed as more of a pain in the ass than an actual threat. And there is Cinder in Vale so the logical concluson is something like "if you stand in front of us, Cinder will burn you to a crisp". However, I am taking into consideration that he may actually encounter one or two of them in the future. When, I dunno.**

* * *

Ozpin waited patiently for the results. Not that he had a choice. Such things require a lot of time. And time was a thing he always had.

He sat in his office, with a firm grip on his cup and with a mind immersed in thoughts. Thoughts that were immediately interrupted when he noticed his office getting covered in a veil of darkness, despite the sun being high in the sky.

Could it be a Grimm? Unlikely. None of those monsters would be able to sneak past every human being in the building. But if it isn't a Grimm, then what could produce such unnatural phenomenon? Whatever it was, it failed to instill fear into the headmaster. Not that he didn't prepare himself should things go south.

He then heard a voice.

" _Greetings, being._ "

No human could ever speak like this voice. Ozpin was sure of it, for it sounded like two separate entities talking at the same time. This could mean trouble.

"Who are you?" Ozpin calmly questioned, gripping his cane even tighter.

" _Who am I? I_ _'m not the one who received a visit, am I? Perhaps I should be the one who asks questions... or even talks, for that matter._ "

Just when Ozpin started doubting the voice's friendliness, he heard another voice.

" _You don_ _'t look good. Maybe you should seek help?_ "

The voice belonged to a female. Whoever it was, it talked rather quietly. Almost as if whispering.

" _Oh he looks good alright!_ " A third voice boomed. " _For a man who is quite a hypocrite, that is!_ "

Ozpin scowled but quickly returned to his stoic facade.

" _You know, for a man who claims to have done so many mistakes, you certainly failed to learn something from them._ "

" _How ironic! As expected from those who talk about everything with no clue to what are they actually talking about!_ "

"And you are going to stand aside and judge everyone?"

" _Is that what you think? You don_ _'t know who I am, do you?_ "

"I suppose you work for the Queen."

" _To tell you that it_ _'s completely pointless. You are all heading the wrong way. At best, you will all end in unmarked graves._ "

Ozpin remained silent.

" _This_ _'_ _game_ _'_ _of yours... do you know how it_ _'s going to end?_ "

Ozpin stilll remained silent.

" _There will be one big twist at the end... and I doubt you will like it. Actually, I doubt anyone will._ "

" _Perhaps you should be more careful?_ "

" _As if it matters!_ "

"Not if we can stop it."

" _And who is this_ _'we' you talk so much about?_ "

" _Whatever you do will be pointless, I_ _'m afraid._ "

 _"And it's all gonna be your fault!_ "

" _Don_ _'t count on the help of children to solve the problem that is yours to begin with._ "

"I see... how much time is left?"

" _Time is something you certainly don't have. Maybe you should reconsider your options?_ "

DING!

The the typical sound appeared in the room, the darkness vanished at the same speed it was created, much to the headmaster's relief. He could now see the school psychologist coming closer to his table. Said person didn't greet the headmaster or even said something nice. Instead, he only asked one simple question.

"Do you want the short answer or the long answer?"

Well, what a surprise. If it is pleasant, or rather, unpleasant, Ozpin would soon know.

"You mean good news and bad news?"

"There is nothing good about this." The man quickly replied. "Again, short or long?"

Ozpin sighed for who-knows-what time today. Obviously he wouldn't like where this conversation was going. Even if it just started.

"Short."

"The kid is a wreck. I'm actually surprised how he managed to even live for as long as he did."

The headmaster now removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"...And the long answer?"

The man scowled as he brought up a medical board.

"Seriously, headmaster. Where did you found this kid?" The psychologist realized that his poor attempt at humour failed to pass when he noticed the withering gaze of the headmaster. "Right. Nevermind... What is there to say? Hostile, apathetic, anti-social, cynic and I could go on, but I think you got the point." He was silent for a few seconds before continuing again. "Traumatized. Heavily. Both physically and mentally... and I have no idea which is worse." He now placed a hand on his face and sighed heavily, as if pitying the patient. "By Oum, the scars..."

"Scars?"

"Abdomen. Full of them. Gunshots, stab wounds... and there are even some that I have no idea what could possibly made them. Had to place a hand on the nurse's mouth to stop her from screaming. Of course, when asked, he replied with, quote, I would sooner ask what makes me an undying son of a bitch then spend even a fraction of a thought on how I got those."

Ozpin didn't like it. Not one bit.

* * *

"Remind me why are we in this fucking forest again?" Braylon asked while firing at a group of Grimm with his Damned Cowboy.

"It's because we are training, you dolt!" Replied Weiss as she stabbed a Beowolf to death.

"Alirght. Now remind me why I can't shoot Weiss!"

"Because she is our teammate!" Yang punched an Ursa into oblivion. "Unfortunately."

"I heard that!"

Today is one of those "training days", where students would be sent in God-knows-where and kill as much Grimm they can to keep the threat at minimum. Truth to be told, I have no idea how many of these fucking parasites are out there, but it seems that team RWBBY attracted half of the world to their position. Ursa, Beowolf, you name it.

"I never saw so many Grimm in one place." Said Blake from a tree, using her weapon to kill two small Boarbatusks. "What could possibly attract them so much?"

Yeah. I ask that question too. Even if I already know the answer.

Braylon had no problems with the Grimm, but he was too busy to kill off an entire pack of Beowolves to notice one (an Alpha) creeping on his ass silently. That is, until Ruby warned him. He turned around but got smacked into a tree by the beast. He suffered no damage, courtesy of his Shield.

"And this one..." He fired three bullets into the Alpha's abdomen. "Where the fuck did this one come from?!"

"Maybe if you actually bother to be aware of the environment around you, you would quite easily see it coming. A true Huntsman must always be aware!"

"Yeah, thanks Schnee for your opinion which I never asked for!"

"She is right, you know?"

"You too, blondie?!"

"You have no strategy, you have no style and you always rush recklessly into combat!" Criticized Weiss.

Braylon dodged a swipe aimed for his head. "So you want me to be a fucking ballerina?" He fired a Sawblade into the head of the Grimm, splitting it in two.

"She is just giving you a friendly advice! No need to get worked up!"

"Here is _my_ advice! Leave me be!"

"That's not an advice-"

"I don't care! Just shut up for a second!" Braylon snapped the neck of a small Ursa.

"Guys!" Ruby shouted. "We are winning!"

"You don't say!" Braylon yelled back as he approached a really tiny Death Stalker. He grabbed said monster for his tail, slammed it so hard on the ground that he tore off the limb, and ended its suffering by stomping it on its belly.

"You're right, sis! I don't see other Grimm coming!"

"Then what about killing the remaining Grimm first, and then talking later?!" Asked Braylon.

Ruby, the small leader, killed all Grimm that her teammates weren't able to. Her Semblance, coupled with her lethal weapon, meant that she could kill several monsters effortlessly.

"That was the last one." Blake said. "We should head back to Beacon."

"Nah, I'm going for a walk."

"Are you insane? This forest is dangerous!" Weiss quickly grabbed the opportunity to criticize Braylon. This was becoming a hobby. "And where would you go?"

"I dunno."

The girls turned their heads to Ruby, expecting her to solve this problem. The tiny reaper wannabe started fidgeting in place. It was so uncomfortable.

"I-,um... Braylon! I demand- I mean- I order you to... um..."

"Order denied." He simply replied.

"You can't deny an order from the leader." Blake crossed her arms.

"File a complaint to me-gives-no-fucks Industries. Thank you."

Yang being... well, Yang... she placed a hand on Blake's shoulder. The girl turned her head to the blonde fighter, who only nodded silently. She immediately knew what must've been done.

Braylon suddenly felt something tightening around his chest. When he looked down, he saw something black holding him from going any further.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." He whined.

"We're _leaving_. Like it or not."

"Then go, damn it!"

"No. You will come with us."

"Why?"

"What you mean 'why'?!" Weiss complained. "You are our teammate, remember?"

"But I don't wanna!"

"Stop bi-" Yang coughed when Blake elbowed her. "Stop being a baby. I'm tired of being your babysitter."

"HAHAHA! That's a good one!" Braylon laughed to the point of tearing up. "Why don't you babysit your sister? She looks like she needs a new pair of-"

He was now locked in a full Nelson by the blondie of the team. The best part was feeling her assets pressed against his back. For me, not for him. He is quite embarassed by it, I think.

"If you value your life, you _won_ _'t_ finish that sentence." She warned.

"Wanna lie flat on your ass again?" Braylon smirked... until she punched him. Still being tied by Blake, he fell face first on the carpet of green below him.

"My Oum, what children..." Weiss facepalmed.

"Yang! Stop!" Now the youngest member of RWBBY jumped on the angry brawler.

"Hey! Let go! I said let go!"

"You immature children! Stop this now! We don't need more teammates like him."

"Ugh, chill Ice Queen!"

Since every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and this pun is no exception, a chorus of groans emanated from the others present at the event.

"Er Ged, keel meh..." Braylon murmured incomprehensibly. " _Wait a minute..._ "

"Ruby!" Yang was annoyed by her little sister. This didn't stop her from freeing herself and squeezing the life out of her. "I'm sorry! I know I'm a bad sister, please forgive me!"

"Mmmmmf!" Ruby protested, her head being completely shoved in Yang's assets.

"Guys..." Blake said quietly.

"Oh, sorry Rubes!" When Yang let go of her, the first thing Ruby did was inhale a comically large supply of air.

"Can you stop with your pointless antics?"

"Well, sorry! Ice Queen! Just trying to have a moment of bonding with Ruby. You know... since we are sisters and all..."

"Guys..."

"Would you stop calling me that?!"

"What? Huh? What?" Yang cupped her ear. "What?"

"Stop it!"

"Guys!"

"Then maybe you should stop acting like a spoiled brat!"

"How dare you?!" The heiress stomped the ground with her foot... like a brat that she is.

"And he's gone." Blake finally sighed. When she said this, everyone turned to face her. She didn't say anything, just pointed a finger at where Braylon should be, which is now replaced by an outline with a middle finger aimed at them.

This time, it was Ruby who did the sighing as she sat on the ground. The burden was too much for her tiny head.

"... at least we are never bored..."


	30. Stronghold

**Guest: Oh they want alright. The problem is, how? He _did_ wipe out an entire department with more than hundred people by himself. You just don** **'t do something like that without being extremely powerful. I'm sure you can realize what effect would such thing have on the teenagers.**

* * *

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang decided to find their teammate before he gets into more trouble. The best way to find a teammate in such situations is through the Scroll given by Beacon. This device is capable of detecting the user's Aura as well as that of their teammates. Because of this feature, a Scroll can also be used as a compass for detecting targets even at larger distances. The only requirement is, obviously, an unlocked Aura. Which definitely wasn't the case with a member of RWBBY.

"Guys? I think my Scroll is broken." Said Yang as she tapped on her device.

"Why?"

"It won't detect Braylon's Aura."

"That's impossible. Scrolls are perfectly designed for that purpose." Weiss placed her hands on her hips.

"... And what if..."

"What is it, Blake?"

"What if he has no Aura?"

"That's also impossible. Everyone gets their Aura unlocked as a child."

"Maybe he is an exception?"

"Or maybe he is hiding something."

"Wow. Excellent observation, Ice Princess."

"I'm not even going to bother replying to your obvious attempt at provoking me."

"All I'm saying is that he clearly has secrets."

"Okay, how are we going to find him then? He could be everywhere."

"Better call the headmaster then."

* * *

Braylon somehow managed to find some fucking ruins. In the middle of the forest. What makes it even more stupid is the fact that he never actually _planned_ to find it. I'm sure that if he _did_ plan such trips, he wouldn't find jack shit. Life can enjoys fucking with you in its own twisted way.

So, the ruins. Right.

It kinda resembles a parthenon from Earth, with white marble and fancy columns, but more complex. Judging by its height, it is definitely a two-stories building, maybe even bigger. Most of it is in bad shape or waiting to fall down, meaning that this thing has been abandoned long ago. Vegetation is rampant here, with giant roots and moss covering large portions of the walls. There is also a marble road that leads straight to the entrance, which is blocked by rubble.

God knows what treasures he could find inside!

Without wasting any more time, Braylon went toward the building but stopped when he felt... _funny_. His instincts were screaming at him. And for a good reason.

In front of the entrance stood a small black... _something_. What it was, Braylon had no idea. And then, as if the thing sensed his presence, it started shaking violently, only to start expanding at an alarming rate.

As it was growing in size, so changed its appearance. It grew some black tentacles from the ground (roots?), with few of them coiling around nearby columns or simply attaching themselves to the walls while others were just waving around like crazy.

"What the hell..." Braylon muttered. What kind of monstrosity is that?! " _Oh God! "Monstrosity"?! Where the fuck did I pull that word from?!_ "

A completely white flower bud emerged from the black mass. After a while, a black peduncle raised the bud in the air and quickly formed hundreds of needles that could stab anyone stupid enough to approach it. The bud expanded and then bloomed, revealing two things. First, there was a head. A black anglerfish head, to be precise, which contained two rows of some of the shrapest teeth I have ever seen in my life, four red eyes and an even redder sphere on the "fishing rod". Second, the white petals, which looked more like jaws, each equipped with tiny teeth on the edges and each adding more points to its creepy factor.

What an ugly motherfucker.

The thing roared so loudly that even the ground started shaking, obviously trying to look intimidating. That or it's really pissed off at the human asshole who dared to annoy it.

( **AN:** Now some music from the MadWorld. This one is called "Body That". Enjoy!)

Braylon did the first move, for he shot the Grimm with his Unforgiven.

"Okay..." Braylon muttered as he realized that it was immune to bullets.

It countered by trying to squish the puny human with one of its black tentacles. Braylon jumped to the right and started thinking.

" _Usually things that are immune to bullets have a weak spot somewhere. But this motherfucker seems to have none..._ " He dodged another tentacle-root." _II hope this does it..._ "

Braylon threw a Pandemic-modified grenade at the Grimm. The grenade burst into a cloud of acid, which fell on the peduncle and the black mass below, and split into three child grenades which scattered and dropped more acid on various body parts. The mutated plant let out a painful roar, a sign that it worked.

But he never expected the Grimm to shoot out those painful-looking needles in its surrounding environment.

"Oh shi-" Was all that Braylon could say before he was forced to dive for the nearest thing that he could use as a cover, which was a broken column. He doubted his Shield would defend him from _that_.

The Grimm then did another unexpected move. It suddenly stopped attacking only to slightly shake its head, as if stunned. But the most interesting thing was the fact that three red, tumour-like bubbles grew out of the head (two on the sides and one on the back) during this process. Figuring out that those might be its weak spot, Braylon shot the one on the back of the head. With only two shots it burst like a water-filled balloon. It screamed so loudly that even the ground started shaking. Part of a nearby wall fell down.

The Grimm finally decided to make his life hell. It brought a tentacle-root up in the air and swiftly moved it as if trying to execute a backhand. Lots of black droplets fell from the limb. As soon as they reached the ground, the droplets buried themselves into it. Ten seconds later, dozens of dwarf plant-Grimm emerged, each being equally hostile towards the human. Each individual was the exact replica of their "mother".

" _Time to remove the weeds._ "

He materialized his Mining Laser and neutralized several minions with few shots. They aren't as strong as the original. No problem, since the "mother" did its magic again and spawned even more of these tiny bastards. Kinda like pieces of shit crapped out of an infinite asshole.

This dance continued on for fifteen more minutes, with Braylon killing each freshly spawned minion. The Grimm stopped and grew back its weak spots. Braylon shot the one on the left side. Two down, one more.

In the middle of the fight, a Beowolf and an Ursa joined, to Braylon's frustration. He glanced quickly at the duo and then back at the flower Grimm. Braylon swore that the bastard was _smiling_.

Indeed, the creature stopped fighting and instead focused on the Beowolf and Ursa. Two tentacle-roots reached for their targets and _fused_ with their backs.

For a moment everything stopped, even Braylon. He was actually curious what this thing would do now.

It started _pumping_ something through the fused appendages. Whatever it was, it did something rather... unexpected.

" _No. Fucking. Way._ "

The two smaller Grimm started... growing. In a sense that, they both emanated some sickening sounds similar to bones cracking coupled with guttural noises. To be precise, their bones started ripping their skin on the back and create additional armor, similar to Alpha Beowolves and Ursa Majors.

They were evolving.

" _This is_ so _messed up..._ " Thought Braylon as he took few steps back.

When the horror show finally stopped, the new (and improved!) Grimm stared at their prey, waiting to tear it apart.

Both rushed towards the human in front of them. Braylon took the Unforgiven from his holster and fired at the Ursa. But in vain! The armor was much stronger than before. Maybe even stronger than that of an original Ursa Major.

The Vault Hunter had barely any time to dodge the attack. When he did, the Beowolf appeared and punched him so hard that his sorry-ass went flying right into a wall.

BEEP! BEEP!

"The fuck?" Braylon cursed as his Shield was completely depleted. Stupid low charge!

When he raised his head, he let out a very manly scream as he saw the Ursa charging again. Braylon jumped away and yet again he saw the fucking cheap werewolf knock-off in front of his face.

"Ugly son of a bitch!"

Braylon materialized his Bullpup and fired into the creature's chest, thus evading another chance to meet with the Reaper.

He was so focused on his target that he didn't plan for a landing strategy and fell straight on the ground. A shadow quickly appeared on his left.

"Oh come on..." He sighed as he rolled away from the Ursa who tried to use its legs as a fucking hammer. The impact caused a small shockwave that sent Braylon away from his attacker. He had to use his Holo Claw to stop himself by stabbing the ground with it.

Not only these freaks were stronger. They were also smarter. Braylon would love to examine this phenomenon but he had no time playing scientist. He had Grimms to kill and ruins to loot.

Note that during this brief fight with the two evolved brutes I never mentioned the "boss". That's because it limited itself to passively staring the fight. As for why, I have no idea.

Man... this just turned from annoying waste disposal to softcore daily training!

Braylon smirked when he saw the Ursa approaching. He just needed the right -

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"

Braylon saw a yellow blur appearing out of nowhere and punching the Grimm so hard that it flew into the ruins, which crushed on the creature as soon as it fell on the ground.

"I could've taken him." Braylon deadpanned as the blondie placed her hands on her hips.

"Don't mention it." Yang mumbled as the rest of the team joined the fight.

"How did you find me?"

"The screaming led us." Blake said as her bow twitched. At this point I have no idea why no one else noticed this. No one except Braylon.

"I can take care of it."

"Sure you can." Yang smiled. "If it weren't for us, you would get your butt handed to you."

"Right." He scoffed.

The chit-chat was rudely interrupted by the evolved Beowolf who tried to ambush the girls. Weiss pointed her toothpick in front of the Grimm and let Yang punch it. Holy crap, it went flying...

"How..."

Congratulations! Braylon just earned his first "Dropped Jaw" badge on Remnant!

Seeing this, Weiss couldn't help but smirk. Braylon quickly turned his amazement into anger. He really needed to give another look into that Dust.

The roar of the flower Grimm returned everyone's focus on the battlefield.

"Him! He is the one who is in charge here!" Braylon pointed.

"Then let's do this!" Ruby smirked as she prepared her Crescent Rose.

"No! Wait!"

Ruby used the rifle to throw herself at the creature. She was brought down in midair by the Beowolf who threw a piece of marble at her.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled as she saw the red reaper falling into a tree. Before she could go berserk, Braylon placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That thing is immune to bullets. We need to wait for when it reveals its weak spots. I already took out two."

"Okay. But how long?" Blondie asked impatiently.

"From what I understand, it shows them only when it performs complex tasks, tiring him out. Oh, and he..."

A loud roar interrupted them yet again when they saw the Ursa rising from the pile of rubble.

"He can evolve other Grimm around him. Don't lower your guard for any reason. These two are much smarter and stronger than those we fought before."

When the Ursa was completely free from the rubble, the tentacle-root pumped more of that same shit into its ally, thus increasing its power. The girls widened their eyes when they saw that.

"See?"

"How... how do we defeat them?" Weiss asked.

"Do you have any corrosive Dust?"

"What?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you have any Dust in that toothpick that can corrode that armor?"

"N... no such Dust exists..."

Braylon slapped himself mentally for that. Blake just looked at him with an inquisitive look.

"Right... Can you freeze? Burn? Zap? Anything?"

"Who do you think I am?! Of course I can!"

"Then do it!"

Weiss grumbled as she prepared the right kind of Dust. She only needed the right timing.

"He is too far."

"No worries. I'll make him come here." Braylon said as he cupped his mouth. "Hey you! Yes, you! Your mother is such a whore, that she has hands like those Lego figures!"

The girls deadpanned.

"Seriously?" Blake asked rhetorically. "And what's "Lego" anyway?"

"Long story." He quickly replied.

I'm not sure if Grimm can understand humans... but I'm sure as Hell that they know when they got roasted. How? Because the Ursa charged at the group like a bull when he sees red. Weiss saw the opportunity and quickly took it as she stabbed her weapon into the ground and created a glyph, blocking the Ursa in thick ice.

Smirking, Braylon jumped forward.

"What are you doing?!" Weiss shouted but to no avail.

Braylon cocked back his fist and smashed the ice as hard as he could. He managed to cause a small crack which eventually broke the whole icy prison and liberated the Ursa.

"You dunce! Look at what you did!" She said to her teammate. "Now he is free again!"

"I told you to freeze him! Not jail him!"

"I would if I could, but Dust doesn't work that way!"

"For fuck's sake!" He exploded, causing the girls to jump slightly.

Meanwhile, the Beowolf jumped on top of a column and stared the group.

"Why do I have to do everything here?!" He yelled, materializing his Excalibastard. "Fuck!" His PDA started playing "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition" by Kay Kyser.

"Is that so?! I would like to see you then!"

"Watch and learn, princess." He turned to the Ursa and flipped him off. "Fuck yourself!"

The mad Grimm ran towards him but ended up frozen completely by a white ray that went completely through its body. He walked closer and smashed the ice statue with his right fist. Braylon then jumped away when he saw a shadow of something coming closer to him from behind. It was a piece of the column.

Braylon stared at the Beowolf who jumped down and tossed another piece, which Braylon broke with his fist. The Beowolf, knowing that the distraction worked, lunged forward. It first uppercuted Braylon (which took a good amount of the Shield's charge), then it delivered a left hook (which emptied the Shield) and went for a finishing move with a fist from the above. However Braylon grabbed the arm and kicked the Beowolf away who just so happens to step into a nearby puddle. Braylon materialized his Hard Reboot and zapped the motherfucker with the whole clip. The Beowolf's head exploded as the body disintegrated completely.

Turns out that by killing the two evolved minions, the flower Grimm couldn't handle it and became exhausted. The third and final weak spot was blown away by a gunshot that came from a tree, courtesy of Ruby. The creature screeched loudly before falling lifelessly on the ground with an earth-shaking kaboom.

"Now that's how you kick ass Vault Hunter-style!" Braylon commented as he wiped the dust from his clothes.

"Hooray for team RWBBY!" Ruby's voice could be heard from that tree. Yang quickly ran to the rescue of her little sister.

"What do you think?" He turned to Weiss and Blake who just gawked.

"How... wha..."

"Surprised, Ice Princess?"

"Nng! This display didn't show anything other then your lack of Huntsmen skills!"

Braylon chuckled. But he knew that his work wasn't done. He still had to check out the ruins hoping to find ancient treasures and other cool shit.

He _is_ a Vault Hunter after all.

* * *

 **So here is a creation of mine. A flower-based Grimm I like to call Mandragora. Hope you liked it. Also, there is a possibility that I might show more types of Grimm in the future. And should I create some types of threat, like a Pandorian animal or else, I will describe them down here. Like, if they have any special ability, immunities and so on.  
**


	31. OOPArt

**Sl4pMOOv: Ever thought that it might be because he would like to prevent an Ozpin's student from dying and thus avoiding Ozzy's rage on his ass? Or maybe because, just because, he is a softie inside? Or even... since when are human being logical? Anyways, as for the lenght, it really depends. I have no desire to write damn behemots and thus annoy my readers to death. Short, but sweet. At least I hope so.**

* * *

"Sis, I think it's time you talk with him." Yang placed a hand on her little sister's shoulder.

"You mean about...?" Ruby trailed off as she and others glanced at Braylon who stood at the blocked entrance. He was having a weird smile and constantly talking to himself as he stared the pile of rubble.

"You know just as we do that this can't go on forever." The big sister said. "If he doesn't follow your orders, he may put us all in trouble."

Weiss stepped into the conversation. "Hmpf! Like that never happened before!"

"But what do I say?" Ruby inquired.

"Think of something! You are our leader. Get creative."

"But I don't know..." Ruby lowered her head as she pouted. "He is so stubborn!"

"That's why he needs to learn his place, sis." She smiled. "Show him who's Ruby Rose!"

"But look at him!" She insisted. Everyone turned their head to their fifth teammate who was rubbing his hands together like someone who created an evil plan or something. "He is... he is..."

"Weird?" Blake asked.

"Yeah! Weird..."

"Nevertheless, Ruby. As your partner, I reccomend you to display your strenght when necessary."

Ruby, pouting even more, turned towards Braylon's direction and cupped her mouth.

"Braylon!" She called.

"Not now!" Was his reply. "I'm busy!"

The tiny leader swiftly turned to her friends and glared, as if she wanted them to realize that any effort is completely pointless.

"See?!"

"Don't just stand there! Keep talking!" Weiss scolded.

"Why don't _you_ do something, then?!" Ruby talked back.

" _Because,_ I am not the leader!" Weiss frowned.

"But aren't you 'the best', Miss Perfect?!"

"Don't call me that!" Weiss almost screeched. But she decided to took things in her hands.

"Braylon! Get back here!" She ordered.

"Fat chance!" Braylon said as he started messing around with the rubble.

"Braylon, if I get a bad grade because of you then I swear-"

"Not listening!"

At this point, the heiress clunched her fists and grit her teeth.

"Okay, we need to take Ice Princess away before she gets a nervous breakdown." Yang warned everyone.

Ruby couldn't take this... _abuse_ anymore. She decided to fight back his tyranny.

"You know what?!" She yelled, surprising the others (minus Braylon, who groaned). "If you don't move your butt right here, right now, you are officialy kicked out of our awesome team!"

"Whoa..." Yang whispered. "Nasty..."

Everything stopped for a moment. Braylon stood up, his back turned on them, the girls thoguht that their leader finally placed some sense into him...

Until they saw him raising his hands in the air and cheering loudly.

The four girls groaned in unison.

"Of course he would be happy..." Weiss thoguht out loud.

BOOOM!

"What was that?!"

"Oh no..." Ruby facepalmed. She could already guess what happened... since the explosion came from Braylon's direction. "Come on... we need to stop him... again..."

Braylon cheered even more as he managed to open the entrance to the ruins with the help of his Protean grenades. He didn't even wait for the others and he was already running inside. The girls simply stopped even bothering and just went with the flow. Why did they have to be his teammates?!

* * *

The short hallway led to a room which was more preserved than Braylon thoguht it would be. Part of the roof was missing, which was actually a good thing because the light from the outside could illuminate the place which would otherwise be completely dark and the local flora found its way inside through few cracks on the wall, adding more beauty to the sight. There is also a rectangle gate that leads to deeper into the structure, on the other side of the room.

But what really caught his attention were the details which said room contained. Blocks of marble forming abstract shapes. strange glowing lines on the walls, ten foot tall, partially damaged, statue in the middle of the room... And I'm not talking about _any_ statue mind you...

He could hear the girls running behind him. It didn't took a lot of time to actually reach him.

"You dolt! Do you even bother explaining yourself... before..." Weiss trailed off when she saw the room.

"Whoa..." Ruby whispered as she constantly moved her head to check every corner of the ancient place.

"What is this place?" Blake asked their teammate who, with his back turned on them, moved towards the statue without saying a word. This behavior made the infiltrator specialist very suspicious. And the fact that he studied it as he already knew what it was about didn't help in removing suspicion from him.

"Wait!" Weiss said. "We had enough of running after you. Could you at least explain..."

Braylon shut off the heiress' ranting and fully concentrated on the statue. It was something which he knew all too well. A figure that you could easily find all over Pandora if you look hard enough. But why here? In the middle of nowhere? Is this thing also out of place? Like that giant cave in which he found himself in?

He frowned as his hand touched its surface. Could it be a coincidence? Maybe a hoax? Unlikely. This thing seems old just like the rest of this place.

"...and he is not listening, is he?"

"Mhm."

"Yup."

"...You know something, don't you?" Blake asked, getting the spotlight. "First there is a complete lack of any information about you. Then there's your highly advanced equipment... and now this?"

Silence.

"Just when do you actually think to explain yourself? When will you finally stop hiding from us? From your teammates?"

Braylon mentally chuckled, but he decided to respond nonetheless.

"And why do you actually care so much about me and my business?"

This time Ruby answered. "It's because you are our teammate, our friend. It would be easier for everyone if you could share with us your problems. Don't you trust us?"

Guilt trip much?

"And _why_ would I ever trust you with things you cannot even begin to comprehend?"

"Why are you underestimating us? Who do you think you are to place yourself so highly above us all?" Yang asked.

"I am _someone_ who at least partially knows what's going on here."

He turned around to face them.

"Do you have any idea of what _all of this_ is?"

"Should we?"

"No. And for a good reason."

"Wow. That was helpful. I feel smarter now." Yang snarked.

"You see those walls there? Or even the scriptures on them? And what about the objects all over the place? Just _who_ could made all of this?" He pointed at the statue with his index finger. "Here's a hint."

"But what _is_ that? And how do you know so much about it?" Blake asked.

" _That_ , could actually be the answer to many questions."

"How could a statue be an answer?"

"Not this statue," Braylon rolled his eyes. "but what it represents."

"And what it represents?" Blake asked, annoyed by his clear attempt to give as less possible information he can.

"Trouble."

"Could you stop being so-"

"You know, I once heard the saying 'there are things a man was never meant to know' and I could not agree more for obvious reasons... does this answer your question?"

"Not really." Yang scoffed.

"Stop avoiding the questions and answer already!" Weiss said.

"What is there to answer? I would, but when I think about it, it is better left buried."

"Why?" The heiress continued her assault. "What could this thing possibly be that its discovery would be so catastrophical?"

"Please, I beg all of you. Stop asking questions about things you don't know. Stop staring into the abyss before it starts staring back at you."

"Being so cryptical certainly won't help." Blake frowned.

"Braylon..." Ruby started. "Whatever it is, I promise that it will be our secret. _We_ promise."

"Ruby... I can't..."

"Please..."

Braylon sighed. "Alright." Ruby grew a toothy grin. "But if I find out that you told someone else about this, then I'm going to kill you." Her grin was quickly replaced with a look of terror.

"Are you threatening us?" Blake asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I won't have a choice."

"Oh yeah, tough guy?" Yang became angry and her eyes were showing it. "I would like to see you try."

"Bring it, blondie." The two headbutted and started growling like two dogs. Ruby placed herself between the two and desperately tried to defuse the situation. Both calmed down after another set of stares. The Vault Hunter coughed in his fist and then continued.

"This statue represents an ancient civilization which was so technologically advanced that they could as well be the ones who created the Grimm... or even the Faunus."

"Are you implying that Faunus aren't normal people?" Blake scowled as she crossed her arms.

Braylon scoffed. "Oh, please. Of course they aren't."

"And why is that?" Her scowl deepened.

"Because it's simply not possible for them to exist in any normal circumstances! Just look, either a human sometime in the past has fucked every exisiting animal on Remnant and produced a Faunus offspring, which is not possible... or Faunus were created in a laboratory as some kind of experiment or something."

"So by your logic, Faunus are just some kind of failed experiments? Is that what are you implying?"

"I can actually back my argument up with science, here! There is no fucking way a Faunus could have been created under normal conditions. Nature just doesn't work that way, darling."

"And what makes you think you are right?!"

"Oh, I dunno, let's see... knowledge of several scientific branches, such as biology and genetics, objective proof, results of countless experiments... Face it, I can back up my argument with science, just like I said before. _You_ , can back up your arguments with nothing more than ideologies. Guess who wins." He said with a grin.

"So you are saying that Faunus deserve to be called animals?!"

"Saying that Faunus are animals is as offensive as saying that the sky is blue."

Blake scoffed. "Unbelievable. I have a racist for a teammate."

"Don't you fucking pull the racist card to win your arguments for no reason at all. What am I saying is, in fact, true. Humans are also animals. By definition, everything that is made of blood and flesh and bone _is_ an animal! So saying that Faunus are animals is a _fact_. Not an offense."

"I see." She turned to other girls. "I'll wait outside."

And just as she said that, she stormed out of the place.

"Blake, wait!" Ruby cried as she used her Semblance to reach her teammate.

Yang couldn't contain herself anymore. With her rage completely free from any kind of restraint, she came closer to him and grabbed him by the shirt.

"Just WHY do you keep doing this?! What is your problem?!"

"Hey! It's not my problem if she is uneducated enough on the subject!"

"Can't you see what are you doing?! The damage you are causing?! Why are you doing this to us?! Just... WHY?!"

"Let's get one thing straight, blondie. I'm NOT your friend! I never was and never WILL BE! I just had this misfortune to be in your stupid little team! Believe me, I would very gladly be alone but Ozpin thinks otherwise. So the best thing you could do for EVERYONE is to leave me the FUCK ALONE!"

Braylon basically yelled at the stunned brawler who quickly turned to her senses and slammed him on the statue.

"I can't _take this_ anymore!" She shouted. "Why do you keep hurting those who try to help you?!"

"I'll try be nicer to you if you can be smarter!" She smashed him into the statue. "This is not helping!"

"What did Blake do now that you needed to act like a jerk?!"

"Do you want her to realize the truth by herself and then hate everyone around her, including you, then?!" Yang seemed to calm down a bit as she processed his words. "Oh, you finally understood, eh? I'm actually surprised." She pushed him back. "Right, hoping too fast."

"Still, you just couldn't be more nicer?!"

"Life fucks with you. Deal with it." She slammed him into the statue again.

"You know..." Yang whispered, brimming with tears. "...I actually feel sorry for you."

"I don't need your pity! Go away!"

She continued nontheless. "I feel sorry for how miserable you actually are. You think you are the only one who has problems? Guess what, I have too. And yet I don't go around and make others feel bad because of it."

"It may be that your purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others." He smiled.

She just glared at him and then let him go.

"No. I'm not like you. _We_ are not like you." She turned around and went for the exit. "Come on, Weiss. We need to find Ruby and Blake." Her partner nodded and went along, leaving Braylon alone.

"Hmpf. Like I care." He spat as he got up... only to sit back down with his back near the statue.

How could he explain to them that humanity's worst enemy is itself? Just how to explain that the 'best and brightest' people out there would use this Eridian tech to annihilate itself? His own reality is a perfect example of how stupid the human race really is. Ever since the discovery of the first Eridian artifacts the corporations tried to do research on them. Not for the good of mankind, mind you. Oh no, instead they used it for two things: money and power. De facto, they are so powerful that no one can stop them from doing anything! Did you know that not even the combined wealth of _two_ fucking galaxies is enough to buy all of the Hyperion stocks? How could he explain that the very same thing would happen on Remnant? How, when their innocence is blinding them! Or it's their youth? Whatever it is, it keeps them from seeing how the world actually works. Nevermind those hippies who preach about love and shit like that. Money is what makes the worl- no, the _universe_ \- go round. Sad, but true. Humans have become slaves to money. Not even Braylon is immune to it.

Still, Braylon was jealous. Jealous because that very innocence they have, he was forced to throw it away long ago. It left him bitter and angry, with lots of mental problems he never truly solved. He just ran away and placed them into the darkest corners of his mind, wishing to forget it all. The bitter truth, however, is that he forgot to remember to forget.

And with the burden having finally accomplished its mission, he lowered his head and started crying uncontrollably. Something that did not happen since when he was ten years old.


	32. Conflict of interest

"Who does that _jerk_ think he is?!"

This and many other complaints the heiress had to listen from her teammate as they were walking out of the ruins. It was quite annoying to be honest, but she couldn't agree more. It really _was_ excessive and totally unecessary. Even if he was talking about the Faunus. And while she would very much add her opinion on the subject, she rather decided to be quiet.

"I mean, what was all that about?! Thinking he is all hot stuff or something..." Yang huffed. "He is even worse than you."

Okay, _now_ she had to react.

"Hey!"

"I'm kidding, princess. Doubt that there is anyone on his level of jerk... iness?"

"But if what he said about Faunus is true, then it would probably explain why are they such ruffians and terrorists."

Yang groaned. "You too?! Give me a break!"

"Say what you want, but it won't change the evidence that they are a bunch of degenerates."

"Hey, not all Faunus are like that." Yang defended. "Just because some Faunus are part of the White Fang it doesn't mean that every Faunus is its member too."

"Anyway," Weiss said while checking her nails, a sign that she doesn't care. "Have you seen how he behaved there?"

The blonde teammate scoffed. "Like I care."

"I will remind you that we still know hardly anything about him." Weiss frowned. "And that bothers me."

"Why?"

"Are you serious?!" Weiss shrieked. "Have you seen what he had done back at the police department in Vale?!"

"Not really, all we saw was him going in and out."

"Not the point." She crossed her arms. "Did you see how many people he killed? Everyone in Vale saw the news!"

Yang became even more angry. "Yeah... I know."

"Never asked yourself how he accomplished such task?"

"Oh, because I definitely want to know all the methods he used back there." Yang snarked.

"Still, isn't that weird?"

"No, trust me, it's completely normal."

"I'm serious, Xiao Long!"

The two stopped walking and turned to each other.

"What he had done there... no human or Faunus could have succeed... not _alone_." The heiress pointed out. "And yet he did. And that _scares_ me."

"Wow, never knew you could actually be scared..."

Weiss sighed. "If he was able to murder that many people by himself... what would stop him from suddenly attacking a kingdom?"

Yang blinked. "...You are right. Never thought about that." Yang, for a brief moment, stopped being angry and became worried. "What should we do then?"

"We need every bit of information we can acquire about him and send it to the headmaster. He probably knows the best way to-"

"Yeah, I kinda see that. Since he is still keeping Braylon at the academy..."

"Let me finish." The heiress warned. "We could start by telling him about this place. Judging by his behavior and by what he said, these ruins are probably something very important."

Yang formed a small smile as she pulled her Scroll out. "Good idea."

"Hey... I meant when we go back to Beacon..."

"Nah, it's gonna be too late then..." Yang said as she tapped on her device, calling the headmaster.

"Yes, miss Xiao Long?" Came a voice from the Scroll.

"Headmaster Ozpin? I'm calling to inform you about something my team and I discovered."

"I'm sure miss Rose will be capable to-"

"We don't have time for that. Could you please bring a professor or someone to our location? We found some weird-looking ruins and our teammate Braylon seems to know something about them."

Silence from the other side. And then...

"Please wait. We are sending two Bullheads on your way. Do not, and I repeat, _do not_ touch anything."

And then he hung up.

"Wow... he seemed concerned there for a sec."

"Who wouldn't be when _he_ is involved?"

* * *

( **AN:** Now, this one is a bit harder to find. It is an ambient OST from Fallout New Vegas that goes by the name of "Dungeon 5 Low", thanks to Youtuber "Marlene Strawhorn". If you happen to know another way to find this music feel free to use it.)

Braylon sat on that spot a bit longer, scolding himself for allowing such thing to even happen in the first place. And yet he couldn't help himself but to think that it _was_ going to happen sooner or later. One can hold his bottled up emotions only for short amount of time.

He raised his head, his eyes still wet from the tears, and moved his eyes. First on the left and then on the right.

" _Right. I have a job to do. Crying won_ _'t solve anything._ " He encouraged himself. " _Get up and finish the job._ "

He couldn't allow _all of this_ to fall into _their_ hands. He simply couldn't. No way he is letting Remnant end up like his reality.

It was with this (weak) apology that he materialized his Nukem. He planned to blow this place to smithereens with the help of his rocket launcher. Nothing important would remain.

He hesitated to pull the trigger.

True, as much as this place is a danger, so is captivating simply because it is _so_ very well-preserved. Just this room speaks volumes about Eridian architecture. If this part is like this...

Then what's on the other side of that gate?

Immediately regretting his choice, Braylon de-materialized his weapon and decided that the best course of action was to investigate first and then destroy later. Perhaps he could still find that hidden treasure he so desperately wanted. Okay, maybe not treasure _per se_ , maybe more something akin to those precious Eridian artifact thingies? Those sell rather good on the market. And Marcus is always seeking for more of them. Not to mention the... special effects, that they give to their user. I (or anyone else) still have no idea how those work. But hey, never question something that proves to be rather useful on the battlefield, right?

After he passed the gate, Braylon found himself in a _really_ weird-looking room. Well, room... more like a thermae of sorts.

There is a staircase made of white marble (as the rest of the damn place) that leads to a giant fucking pool that covers the whole ground, forcing to "take a bath" so to speak. The pool itself kinda fails at its job, since the water (which is crystal clear by the way) barely reaches the place above the ankles, although judging by its design, it probably contained more water in the past. The floor of the pool glows with the typical Eridian blusih, symbolic-like lines and shapes, adding to the luminosity of the place. The walls are short but very thick, each having a dozen of smaller columns that resemble very much our Corinthian style, holding the intact roof. On each angle of the room there is one massive blocky pillar covered in the same glowing lines. As for the condition, it is even better preserved than the previous room!

Braylon felt relaxed. It truly was wonderful, he thought. Another proof that Eridians knew their shit. Though the questions still remain unanswered. Why here? What is this place? Does he even care?

Braylon passed the staircase and slowly descended into the pool. The water was a bit cold, but nothing that could be unbearable. The sunlight that came from between the columns illuminated every part of the room. A beautiful sight indeed.

" _I found you..._ "

And just like that, his instincts had gone wild, warning him of danger. Danger, but from what? He didn't see anything even close to dangerous. Although he had to admit that this quietness _is_ bad for health. Especially for those who are a bit paranoid... and for good reasons. Paranoia sometimes saved lives.

It was then that he noticed something moving from behind a pillar on the other isde of the room. Whatever it was, it decided that it would not hide anymore. And when it came to full view... well, why don't you judge for yourself.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was sure that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Or that he is having a psycho-based hallucination.

It wasn't a Grimm. And it definitely wasn't an animal. Actually, it _did_ look like one. As much as a bipedal thing can look like one.

When he got a better look, he noticed a few more details that he missed before. The legs were heavily covered in fur, as if whatever the fuck it was it didn't shave them for years, and the upper body was completely... anorexic. Fucking seriously, it look the very embodiment of "skin and bones" saying. Although in this case the skin was dark brown and the ribs were easily visible as were the bones of his arms and creepy-as-fuck long, bony fingers. He couldn't see the head well, because it was hidden behind a half-assed amber-colored helmet. But he _could_ see a pair of crimson eyes staring at him just like a predator stares at its prey. He could also see a pair of two black, Bighorn sheep-style horns on its head.

...Was he looking at a Satyr?

Where the fuck did his mind pulled _that_ from?

" _I smell fear..._ "

And it talks too! Wow, brains are wonderful...

The Satyr lookalike pulled out from somewhere behind him a weird looking trident with both ends of the stick having the exact same three prongs (with the middle one being the biggest) and tossed it in the pool. It did a couple of 360 mid-air circles only to stab itself in the ground.

" _Finally, I shall return with the prisoner..._ "

After jumping (and doing pointless acrobatics in the sky), the Satyr lookalike landed in the pool with a loud splash. Without moving its gaze from Braylon, it pulled out the weapon (also amber-colored) and made a few steps forward. Only now Braylon realized how poorly designed this solid hallucination's armor was. The amber (is there a theme going on here that I am not aware of?) breastplate only covered the skeletal parts of the abdomen, thus leaving the belly exposed. As for other pieces of armor... if you can call bracers armor...

" _Prepare to fight fugitive..._ "

There was one thing that Braylon never understood thought. If this thing was a hallucination...

Then why did he felt terror beyond reason?

" _...For I will show you no mercy._ "


	33. Hopelessness

Back on the outside, the young leader and her temmeate were having a discussion which soon dropped when they noticed Yang and Weiss. Yang, being the bigger sister, almost crushed little Ruby under her hug only to apologize few minutes later. After this brief ritual (or antics, depending on who you ask), the blonde member of team RWBBY decided to tell the others some very important news.

"We called the headmaster." She said. "And we asked for reinforcements."

"You did what?!" Ruby asked.

"Why the long face, Rubes?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"He may have been a bit _mean_ -"

"That's putting it lightly."

"-but that's no reason to call more teams here!"

"Ruby, we just asked the headmaster if he could bring someone down here to check out this place before that jerk tries to blow it up or something." Yang then saw her partner, who sat on a piece of marble with a sad look. She hated seeing people like Blake, people who are close to her, suffer like that. She hated even more those who try to make others feel miserable. Even if she never realized why Blake acted like that. Truth to be told, she didn't really care. So she decided to talk to her, leaving the heiress and Ruby to themselves.

"Hey." Yang said as she sat next to Blake.

She got no answer.

"Blake..."

"...What?"

"Are you ok?" She asked rhetorically.

"Yes... why?"

"I dunno... you seem... _not_ okay..."

"Yang... I'm not in the mood for-"

"There's no need to be sad, Blakey." Yang grinned as she hugged her partner, startling her. "I think Faunus are really cool!"

"Y... you think so?"

"Yes! And I'm not the only one who thinks like that." She glanced at Weiss and Ruby. "Well..."

Seeing how Yang and others cared for her, Blake wanted to stop this hiding nonsense and just explain to them all who Blake Belladonna really is. If they care so much for her as Yang is saying, then they will probably understand her... except for the Schnee, of course.

"Yang... I-"

However, something stopped anyone right in the middle of their actions.

It was a roar.

"What was that?" Blake asked while trying to free herself. "And Yang..."

"Oh, right..." The blonde partner smiled sheepishly.

Another roar.

This one was even more feral. Even more monstrous. As if its owner tried to release all of its hatred into one loud scream.

Everyone quickly grabbed their weapons and took dramatic stances.

"A Beowolf?" Yang asked.

"And since when Beowolves sound like that?!" Weiss turned to Yang. "This is definitely an Ursa."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, princess."

"Don't call me-"

"Guys..." Everyone turned their attention to Blake, who looked terrified. "...What is _that_?" She weakly pointed her index finger towards a place in the distance. The other three girls followed Blake's finger and... they stared at a wall.

Something slowly creeped out of its shelter and faced the group. Each step echoed through the air as if it was something gigantic right behind that _damn_ wall.

And gigantic it was, alright. Easily towering the girls, there stood a creature none of them had ever seen in their lives. It was something straight out of a horror movie... but _worse._

"G...guys..." Blake began. "D-do... do you... f-feel... t-t-that?"

The girls didn't respond. They didn't have to.

For some reason unknown to them, they felt beyond terrified. It was inexplicable, almost impulsive, fear. One of them, Blake, was even more scared than the others. And she had no idea why. But one thing was sure, her animal instincts made her life now even more of a pain. She was shaking, as did her hands which let her equipment fall freely on the ground.

She tried to speak. She truly did. And yet, no words could come out. Eventually her knees gave up and she fell on the ground, speechless. The other girls knew what happened because they heard it. But no one had the guts to move their gaze from that beast even for a second. Nevertheless, the thing made a few slow steps forward, staring at the girls with abnormal hatred.

"I-is that a-a-a G-rimm?" The heiress desperately tried to point her rapier at the beast, who just didn't give a _damn_.

"N-no... y-you d-dolt... it's-"

Weiss stopped as soon as the beast lifted its head into the sky and let out a threatening roar.

The most eye-catching details were the legs and the head of the beast. Both are completely covered in fur and resembled more like parts of a... bull? Yes. The head was a dead giveaway. It really _looked_ like that of a bull, complete with horns (two on each side of the head and one on top) and so much black fur that reaches the carried a massive battle axe in its right hand. The girls doubted that a human or Faunus could actually lift that weapon. With Aura or not. Maybe the abdomen and arms, which are muscled to the extreme, did the trick.

It slowly lowered its head, giving the girls a glimpse of bone-like protrusions which look like they came out of its spine. It snorted.

" _I smell fear..._ " It talked without even moving its jaw. It didn't lower the creepiness factor.

The girls had no idea what to do. The fear was far to big to make any rational decision. Despite the handicap, Ruby was not willing to give up.

"W... who are you?" Ruby found a small amount of courage to ask the beast a question. It quickly shattered when the gaze turned to her.

" _The one who is going to enjoy the sound of your squishy insides being splattered all over the place..."_

Now it was Yang's turn to gather the courage her younger sister obviously failed to do. With her eyes turning red from both worry and rage, she decided to take things in her own hands.

"You'll have to make sure to I'm dead before you touch her!" She stood in front of Ruby, who gawked at the display of courage.

"Yang..." Ruby whispered.

The humanoid bull snorted again, as if mocking her.

" _And die you will._ "

From behind them a wall suddenly exploded into thousand pieces. When the dust slowly settled down, RWBY saw yet _another_ beast like the previous one! Except that this one had crimson fur, two horns, lots of bony spikes on its back and carried a massive hammer instead of an axe.

" _The blood! I want blood!_ " It sung around with its weapon for emphasis.

"A... another one?!" Weiss shouted.

While Yang was, undoubtedly, scared, she would never let her sister get hurt. This thought was the only thing she needed to let her body lit on fire and keep her power rising.

"Even better!" She shouted enthusiastically. "I need to blow some steam off!"

Then the brawler did something unexpected. She dared to charge at the axe wielding beast. Unsurprisingly, it snorted again.

" _Pathetic..._ "

The beast cocked its whole body back and then sprinted towards the stunned blonde. It tossed her high into the air with a swing of his head. Few seconds later, the blonde brawler of RWBBY fell on a pile of rubble, _uncoscious_.

But how, the girls thought, how did _Yang_ of all people lost in one attack?! Where is her Aura? Was her Aura so brutally devastated with _one_ attack, even if we can hardly call it that?

"Impossible..." Weiss whispered.

"Yang!" Ruby used her Semblance to reach Yang.

"Wait! Ruby!"

The beast saw the little leader approaching, so it tried to slice her in half with its axe. Unluckily (for it, not for Ruby), the human managed to escape far away from his attack which was intended to slice her in two halves.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted again as she was by her sister's side. "Are you ok?"

The older sister slowly raised her head, coughed a few times and even more slowly raised her eyelids.

"I... fine..."

Suddenly, Yang felt a wave of pain emanating from her chest. Nothing was broken and there were no major injuries... and still, she felt pain like she never felt before. It was so powerful in fact, that she barely had the power needed to speak. Curiously, she swore she could feel her herself _burning_... as if she was lit on fire.

"T... pain..." She muttered.

" _I want blood!_ " The hammer-wielder shouted as it suddenly rushed towards Weiss and Blake, jumped into the air and raised the weapon.

"Watch out!" Blake warned the heiress and the two jumped away. When the hammer hit the ground, it caused a small earthquake.

"We need to get out of here!" Weiss said as she landed on the ground.

"I was thinking the same." Blake added. "There is no way we..." Her eyes widened when she saw the beast with the axe behind the heiress, ready to kill her in one blow. She wanted to warn her, but the shock was stopping her.

BANG!

A round hit the beast right in the head, which growled and warned Weiss to go away from her attacker.

The beast turned its head to the direction of the shot and snorted when it saw the little one with her weapon aimed at him.

" _I will enjoy watching you die, human._ "

To its surprise, the one with the golden hair jumped in front of him and started hitting his midsection, causing it to take a few steps back. Annoyed, the creature suddenly placed its axe in front of its body to push back the foolish human, thus ending the assault abruptly.

Yang saw as the monster in front of her cocked back a fist and smashed it into her abdomen so quickly that she had no time to dodge. _Now_ she felt something broken. That and a pain even worse than the previous one. As if her very own _soul_ got hurt and not just the body.

"No!" The younger sister cried as she saw Yang flying. She shot a few more times with Crescent Rose but it seems to barely have any effect on it. It _did_ pierce the skin but the beast just seems to shrug it off.

Gritting her teeth, Ruby transformed her weapon into its scythe form and started running around. Each of her blows was swiftly blocked (yes, _blocked_ , not _dodged_ ) with that axe. Eventually the two clashed their respective weapons, froming dozens of sparks in the process.

The beast, being more taller and powerful of the two, easily tossed Ruby away. The duo continued this lethal dance for long.

Blake and Weiss also had problems. Lots of problems. Like Ruby, everything they tried ended into a miserable failure. The hammer wielder was able to release itself from ice, shrug off blows and felt no pain whatsoever when the heiress lit it on fire. Of course, one could also argue that they were trying to prolong the fight as much as possible so that the reinforcements would finally come to this damn place and lend a helping hand.

It was obvious that the girls were running out of ideas.

Blake used her Semblance to make a copy of herself which would go on a suicidal attack and thus lower the beast's guard. The plan was aborted when the beast turned around and smashed the real Blake with its hammer, tossing her into a column.

" _Your sorcery has no effect on me, mortals._ " It showed its teeth. " _But_ our _sorcery has great effect on you..._ "

"Crap!" Weiss cursed. Her Myrtenaster was shaking pathetically in her hands. It would be funny if the situation weren't so terrorizing.

The hammer hit the ground once again and created a shockwave aimed for Weiss. She jumped on the left but was too slow to dodge the hammer itself. She felt like a small ball hit by a golf club. Any further tohughts were simply nonexistent when she slammed with her back into a wall. She felt like it was her last dying moments.

Still, the heiress was asking question while seeing the feet approaching. Why does she feel such pain? Even with Aura, there is no reason to feel so much pain like she did. True, it was a powerful attack... but was it so powerful that it actually felt as if she was burning alive? And what about the "sorcery" that monster was talking about?

These and many other questions filled her mind as she prepared for the inevitable. She could feel the beast raising its hammer one more time...

Nothing.

She slowly opened one eye and saw the creature. Its focus was on something on its right. She couldn't see what it was though... she was tired.

So... tired.

* * *

Ruby continued her fight with the axe wielder. She could barely land a hit. The creature was just too much agile and powerful. Noteworthy for someone of that size.

Ruby reloaded and fired. The bullet electrocuted the beast. But even _that_ was not enough. It just kept going on and on. What could she do?

She then saw Weiss.

That brief loss of concentration was everything that was needed to end the fight.

The beast uppercuted Ruby with almost abnormal power. Still, the beast was holding back. Before killing the little human, it would torture her for very long time.

Such thoughts made it snort in amusement. A new toy...

It saw something floating in the distance. And it was coming this way. It could smell other humans. Yes... more toys to break.

But then... then...

It felt _another_ presence. A _familiar_ presence. Human.

The prisoner is here.

It turned around and there _he_ was. That _human_. Just thinking about him made its blood boil with rage.

It wanted _him_ dead.

* * *

Ruby moaned.

" _Ouchie..._ " She thought. The little reaper now had the taste of her sister's pain.

And it sucked.

Still, she could see something in the distance. A faint crimson glow just near the entrance of the ruins.

Whatever it could possibly be, it was enough to drag the creature towards it.

She closed her eyes and then opened them again.

Ruby now saw the two beasts going near the glow. Attacking it. For reasons unknown.

She closed her eyes... and opened them again...

"... _Blood?"_ She thought. Her headache getting worse. "...What... is going on?"

No reason to hide it anymore. She was... sleepy. She just needed some sleep.

She closed her eyes... and didn't bother to open them again.

"I failed... mom."

* * *

 **I** **'m afraid that the next chapter will have to wait. I am going to do some rewriting of the first few chapters.**


	34. Higher Power

**Rewrote the first chapter. Go check it out and give some feedback.**

* * *

THWACK!

There are things in life that you just have to accept as a fact. There is no way around it.

POW!

And even then, some individuals _still_ refuse to be an automaton. An automaton that will simply nod at everything, hopless to do anything to change the situation either for the better or worse.

SMACK!

Remember the saying "there are things that man was never meant to know"? And more importantly, what does this saying have to do with anything of what I was flapping my gums about before?

STOCK!

Braylon fell into the water below him. The beating that this thing gave to him was nothing short of embarrasing. He never even managed to land a hit and yet this cocksucker wiped the floor with him. He found out two things though.

First, this monster was completely able to bypass his Shield and hurt him. _Somehow_. Now this wouldn't be much of an issue if it weren't for the fact that no matter how it attacked (be it by weapon or bare hands) it always ended in the same result: him getting his ass kicked.

Second, the pain.

Holy shit.

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. Forget everything you know about pain. This is some next level shit right here. How do i put this... it is not just physical pain. Braylon felt like _everything_ (and when I say everything, I really do mean everything) was smashed to bits as if ten trains repeatedly ran him over. And the suffering could never end.

Still, despite the pain (and the leg that is stomping his back), he spared this thing the pleasure of seeing him beg for mercy. How far he could play this act was anyone's guess. And the constant barrage of comments that the creature threw at him didn't help either. Which is probably a good thing, considering the circumstances.

" _Humans..._ "

It stomped again.

" _Such simple_ _-_ _minded creatures..._ "

And again.

" _Small *_ stomp*, _fragile *_ stomp* _and easy to manipulate..._ "

This time, more force was added to the stomp.

" _So easy to bend at our will..._ "

The creature grabbed Braylon by the leg and tossed him like a ragdoll into a wall. After the collision, the kid fell on the ground and vomited a not-so-small amount of blood.

" _But what is there to expect from a race that calls itself "wise"..._ "

Braylon slowly, weakly raised his head only to meet the ground again, courtesy of the hoof.

" _You make me sick..._ "

The slender fingers coiled around his throat and easily lifted him up, smashed into the wall and tossed into the pool again.

" _Had enough? And to think I just started._ "

The beast could see the body jejrking a bit in the clear water before attempting to rise up. It also noted how the blood mixed with the other liquid only to slowly dissapear from sight.

Suddenly, the puny mortal got up on its feet, took out a firearm and shot several thunderballs at the opponent.

" _Fool!_ "

The beast started swinging its weird weapon in front of itself, which absorbed all the shots.

"... Balls..."

The trident struck the water, thus releasing all electricity that coated it just a few moments ago. This is the moment when Braylon finally dropped the act and yelled as he got fried like a fish when you toss a bug zapper into a lake.

Burned and half-dead, Braylon still stood on his legs. Those weak, shaky legs. His hair casted a shadow over his eyes, hiding the pain from the Satyr lookalike. It was too much to handle even for someone like him.

And while the PDA started creating and pumping various drugs into his body, either to reduce the pain or to heal some internal injuries, it was almost useless in this situation. For while the physical pain is gone, the other one still remains. Funnily enough, it served as a reminder to him that at the end of the day he is still a human ad that he still can bleed and die. Just like the others before him.

There was also the fear. Unnatural fear. It resembled a phobia, but it felt deeper than that to him. No psychological trick could help here. Always there. Always watching. He doubted that Mother Nature was capable of creating such a strong emotion. So he had to ask himself, is this yet another one of the "special effects" that this aborted thing is capable of using in battle? How many more surprises it has in store for him?

" _Stop fighting and accept your fate, mortal..._ "

Mortal? Is it implying that, unlike him, this Satyr (he gave it that name) cannot actually die? Or is just a way to mock him further?

Braylon chuckled. He had to. This whole thing is just... _silly_.

"Fat... chance..." Was the quiet reply as he slowly took a fighting stance. "Bring it..."

" _...What a stubborn human being. No matter..._ " The Satyr did some more acrobatics to impress his foe. " _Time to learn your place, worm._ "

* * *

( **AN:** This one comes from the God of War series. Specifically, God of War 2. It is the theme that plays when Kratos fights Theseus. Enjoy.)

Alright, lesson learned. DON'T use Hard Reboot. Especially when the enemy in question is capable of using _real_ magic, apparently.

Braylon switched his pistol with the heavy machine gun and pulled the trigger. Every single bullet got _deflected by swinging that fucking trident_.

" _My turn._ "

The Satyr leaped forward and stabbed Braylon with one end of the weapon. Ignoring the pain as much as he could, Braylon tried to break free from the beast's grasp as it swung him left and right. Victory! He did it!

And now he was regretting it.

It jumped a few meters back, ran forward, stabbed the ground with its weapon and used it to throw itself as a god-damn bullet. Braylon received a headbutt to the midsection and boy let me tell you, it was as if he got hit by a battering ram.

Both smashed into a wall, cracking it. The difference is that the boy got used as a crash test dummy while the other one got no harm whatsoever. As if the punishment was not properly delivered, the Satyr rip-off grabbed Braylon by the head and smashed it even further into the wall. It did so five times before going for a change.

" _Do you surrender now?_ "

Still holding him, it decided to repeatedly punch his stomach with its free hand.

" _Must... hold –_ AAH!"

" _Scream. No one will ever hear you anyways..."_

The young Vault Hunter felt as if his internal organs were going to burst. Holding breath was just making it even more painful. And then he noticed a faint red glow emanating from the creature's neck. Upon further "inspection" it became clear that the source was a pendant. Hah! At least before dying he would do some humiliation.

So he needed to wait... easier said than done.

" _Had enough?_ "

"Fuck... you..."

And there it was.

He snatched the pendant from the completely unprepared monster and squeezed it in his hand. The item became even brighter and Braylon felt his fist getting warmer.

" _Give it back, mortal!_ "

"I... said... FUCK YOU!" And he executed a marvelous right hook which actually caused it to loose the balance and back away. Braylon stared at the fist with the pendant and decided to give it another go. This time he used both fists (which was working!).

Two hits in the belly and one uppercut which send it flying in the air.

"Yes! Take that!"

The Satyr did a backflip and fell on its legs, shaking its head in the process.

Braylon was pleased with the results. Seems that the pendant gave him more strenght, so he decided to wear it around his neck. As soon as he did, his body got overwhelmed by a powerful energy wave. In fact, his whole body started glowing in frightening shade of red. It was darker than blood.

"What's happenning?!" He asked no one in particular. The body refused to cooperate for reasons unknown. Worse, his mind started playing tricks on him.

He was paralyzed.

" _I will flay your skin for that!_ " Threatened the monster as it moved forward.

" _Move! I said MOVE!_ "

And he did. Barely. First time he dodged a hit.

"Oh yes, I feel it now!" He stared with a evil grin. "I am ready to kick some ass!"

" _Huh, it seems that the pendant found its new master. Interesting, but futile._ "

"Oh yeah? Why don't you show me then?"

The pain was gone and replaced by a sensation that is impossible to describe precisely. It felt _good_.

Most of the attacks were now easy to dodge for the boy. Some made it through but it didn't stop him from feeling _that_. Awesome.

" _Enough!_ " The Satyr readied the trident but it was grabbed by Braylon before it could do anything. The two sides were now locked in a power struggle that already had a winner from the start.

Braylon lowered the trident enough for him to use a leg to keep it down. He grabbed Satyr's head and pushed it down with his right hand and stabbed its neck with the Holo Sabre. There was blood. Blood that was not his own!

He swung his left arm and made the thing fall on the ground. Payback time.

By grabbing its fur-covered leg, the mortal was able to raise it the air.

"I will gut you like a pig!" He exclaimed before he got kicked away with the other leg.

" _Unlikely_."

Braylon materialized the Bullpup and fired the whole clip. However, Satyr was able to dodge every hit.

"You cannot run forever!" He shouted as he kept his finger on the trigger. It was a bait of course, as his free hand held a non-modified Protean grenade behind his back, which he threw when the timing was right. It didn't caused the desired effect, but it was sure as Hell that it was a perfect stunner.

Braylon materialized Fusillade again and kept firing into the exposed belly, where the bullets should make most damage. The good news was that lead was capable of penetrating the body. The bad news is that he now realized how much punishment this son of a whore was able to take. In fact, it barely _flinched_.

"Wow. Despite looking like Swiss cheese, you are still standing."

" _There is a reason why I am in the high ranks, mortal._ "

"Too bad I soon won't be the only mortal in this place."

" _Puah!_ " The Satyr stabbed the ground again. " _I call forth my_ _loyal servants._ _Go, and bring me his head!_ "

His eyes noticed the middle prong of the other side becoming black only to eject that same blackness to some nearby boulders, burying itself into the innanimate object. Then, as if possessed, the boulders started _floating_ and cracking like eggs. It was soon known why. Those cracks opened and revealed a large eye which stared at the mortal in front of them.

"Uh-oh..."

It could do _that_?! Seriously?!

Before he could call bullshit, the boulders rushed on his ass as commanded by their master. None was capable of hurting him as he got rid of them with either fists or Holo Sabre.

"No more games! This ends here!" He exclaimed.

Braylon sprinted forward and uppercuted Satyr so hard that it flew in the sky. He jumped and grabbed it by the throat. The combo ended with him smashing the thing into the ground.

He then reached for the trident and stabbed right through the "armor". The entire room amplified the blood-chilling scream which ended when he used said tool to toss it once again in the air. This time, however, Braylon threw the trident as a spear which impaled the Satyr in mid-air and sent it flying on the other side of the room and right into a wall.

As soon as it reached the wall, the Satyr screamed and violently kicked the air with those furry legs. The bony hands tried to pull it out, but the large amount of blood coming out from both the abdomen and mouth made it slippery. Realizing the futility of it all, the Satyr shot a death glare at its smirking opponent before releasing its last dying breath.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

* * *

"It's over..." He whispered to himself. "Boy, that was a close call."

" _Impressive._ "

" _I was worried, to be honest._ "

" _Beginner's luck!_ "

Perfect. Just what he needed. Hallucinations.

"I thought I said to **leave me alone**." The place became dark as that time when it happened in the library. "You are only in my head."

The hallucination(?) completely ignored his comment and continued its rant.

" _Not many can praise themselves about being able to kill one of the wardens._ "

" _Though the question is, how much of a warden they actually are compared to the prisoners..._ "

" _Don't make me laugh! They are nothing more than privileged prisoners!_ "

"What..." He sighed. "What are you talking about?"

" _You have no idea who was that, do you? How much ignorant can one be?_ "

He frowned. "Listen pal-"

" _You are the one who should listen. Because, unlike you,_ _I am_ _aware of_ _my_ _surroundings._ "

"...go on and then leave."

" _Actually, I have a conflict here. I would very much talk about how that thing you just got as a trophy will cause more harm than good, and therefore you should let go of it... But it is also the only thing that might actually help you..._ "

" _But then again, this is not my (or should I say our?) job._ "

" _So we have no reason to help you in the first place!_ "

" _And even if we helped, it would all be pointless anways. You hardly listen to reason._ "

"Stop talking out of your ass and just fuck off!"

" _Oh dear, instead of worrying about us (me?), you should worry about yourself. The worse part is about to start._ "

"Worse part? What-"

As he said this, he felt inexplicable pain of being burned alive. It was so intense that he fell on his knees and started screaming with all his might. His eyes were glued to his hands, staring disbelievingly at the charred flesh falling from the fingers and palms, leaving the bones completely visible. The surroundings became a blurry red glow while the heat showed no signs of stopping from rising further and further. He could also hear a distant, yet loud, cacophony of screams and cries for help. The embodiment of human agony.

Then... then it stopped. Just like that. In a blinding white flash, everything returned to normal. Poof! Gone!

Braylon gasped and coughed. Only now when it stopped he realized how some recents scars and wounds reopened, allowing the blood to contaminate the water once again. Heh, after what he had gone trough just few moments ago, these wounds were actually a nice pause. His device should probably close them soon. Though why they opened still remains a mystery.

" _You know, just keep it. It is a nice reminder of what is going to happen in your near future. If you don't become completely insane before it happens, that is._ "

His eyes, now wide as saucers, were perfect for that look on his face. He was pale partly because of the experienced fear and partly because he lost quite a large amount of blood. Never in his life has he felt something like this. Never in his life has he _experienced_ something like this.

"Christ... just what kind of troubles have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

 **New item acquired!**

 **Legendary Hellbringer class mod:**

 **Special Effects: "Feels as correct as the market itself!" - Any damage caused to enemies heals a portion of your health. Killing an enemy gives a temporal boost in all stats (Gun damage, Reload speed etc.). This effects are not activated when facing robotic (or similar) enemies. After the fight, you loose 75% of your health and a malus in all stats for 8 minutes.**

 **Details:**

 **+4 Hunter  
** **+3 Anthropologist  
** **+4 Weapon Handling  
** **+5 Meltdown  
** **+5 Instant Surgery**


	35. Death Battle

**ThatGreenDooredBookshop: While I do improvise scenes in chapters as I am writing them, I definitely have a master plan. I also planned two mini arcs for the future but how exactly they are going to develop will be improvised. As for the corporations, I have no idea. Maybe yes, maybe no.**

* * *

Braylon shambled like a zombie towards the room with the statue. That "experience" was one of those things that one wishes to never repeat again. It was as if he was being tortured with methods that were far beyond efficient than those discovered by humans. So the question was: will it happen again? Good thing that he already knew who/what would provide the answer.

"Hey... you there?" He asked loudly.

" _I'm always here. It is part of my duty, after all._ "

"I was thinking... what was _that_ back there? A dream?"

" _It's all a dream, isn't it?_ " Braylon could feel a faint presence of sarcasm in those words. " _I suggest you enjoy it while you can... before you wake up._ "

"Can you stop with cryptic messages and just answer me?" Braylon rolled his eyes.

" _What you saw back there... is just a fraction of what will await you if you continue down this road._ "

"...So you are saying that a terrible death is waiting for me? So what? I am not afraid of death."

" _But do you care about those who are around you?_ " The female voice asked.

" _And who even said something about death?! Do you even listen to us?! Or_ _are_ _we just wasting our time?!_ "

"You fucking... so you know everything about everyone?!" Braylon yelled at the seemingly empty room.

" _It is you that I don't get. Why is it you do the things you do?_ "

" _Is it to prove yourself to others?_ "

" _Or just because,_ _deep down,_ _you enjoy hurting people?!_ "

"I admit, I am not proud of everything I have done to this point but... I'm sorry."

" _Remorse won't get you anywhere. At best, it will briefly stop you from being yourself._ "

He sighed. "...I know."

" _Oh dear, I suggest you find the exit quickly._ " The female stated all of a sudden. " _There are two more wardens on the outside... and it appears they have won._ "

...Won?

Braylon widened his eyes at the implication done by the thing. Two more "wardens" means two more of whatever the fuck was that back there. That they won means... it means...

" _Oh no... no, no, no, no, NO!_ " He panicked.

Picking up the remaining supplies of energy he had, Braylon rushed as fast as he could towards the exit, hoping that none of them died. Damn it, those things were searching for him! Never mind his behavior towards them, he was not going to let others die for his problems... even if it means that he needs to save those hormonal girls... ugh.

It is true that he had so much blood on his hands... the problem is, that in that morbid cocktail of hemoglobin, there is also blood of the innocents. Innocents that died because of some shitty mistakes or because, like in this case, they were in the wrong place at the right time. And he would be damned if he would let any more innocents die because of his _fucking_ mistakes. No need to be hated more than he already is.

" _What's the reason for this sudden act?_ "

"Shut up."

" _So you care about them, but not about those who already lost their lives?_ "

" _Or you think that somehow, by doing this, you are going to redeem yourself?_ "

"Shut up!" He seethed, not wanting to deal with the judgement.

" _..._ _You humans really are illogical beings..._ "

* * *

And there he was.

Two things caught his attention. Two Bullheads that were about to land and two "wardens" themselves, which turned their heads to him as soon as he appeared on the scene. Unlike the previous one, these two looked disturbingly similar as if they were brothers, with only few exceptions like horns and fur. As soon as he saw them, he got overwhelmed by fear. That same fear that showed up when he first saw that Satyr rip-off. He came to the conclusion that, while physically different, the trio was related in terms of powers and possibly even origins.

In other words, they came from the same place.

He got into a fighting stance, ready to face his opponents. The fear effect would never stop working for as long as those two were alive. Still, it wouldn't bother him so much in combat as it did back in the ruins because he now had (hopefully) the power to actually cause some pain to these abominations. Any possible psychological damage was something that he would be able to fix later... hopefully.

A team of four students jumped from one of the Bullhead. This team was led by a woman who, judging by the clothes, wanted to be on the cover of a fashion magazine rather than a Huntress-in-training. There was also that bunny-ears lawyer, I mean girl who tried so hard to go unnoticed. The remaining two guys were complete unknowns.

You can pretty much guess their reaction when they saw the monsters.

Braylon couldn't give a fuck about the newcomers. His mind was focused more on the beasts who were able to defeat the girls. He saw Ruby laying unconscious, as were the remaining three teammates. Great.

"You!" He said to the one with the axe. "Don't you dare come any closer to her!"

The beast turned around and stared at the new mortal. He could swear that he saw a creepy grin appearing on that ugly-as-fuck face.

" _...Prisoner..._ " It snorted and made a step towards him. " _...Prisoner!_ "

"That's right!" He turned his head to see the hammer wielder also appraoching from a different direction. "Come and get me!"

He had no idea if the other group understood that he was bluffing to buy some time for them to take the others away, but the fashionista ordered them to do something, which they accepted with a nod.

He heard loud footsteps from his right coming closer, so he jumped away. Looking back, he saw that the beast tried to impale him with the horns.

"Man, you really are impatient to finish your job. Whoa!" He dodged a hammer swipe.

"Okay, enough talk!" He cracked his fists and grinned.

The axe wielder snorted, lowered its head and charged straight for Braylon, who jumped on the left and shot it several times with his revolver. Just now he realized how the duo looked much like the Minotaur from Greek mythology. Coincidence?

"Open fire!" A man shouted and soon the beast found itself into a storm of bullets, which only pissed it off even more.

Braylon moved his eyees to the source of the noise. Unsurprisingly, there was Ironwood with some pathetic robots and two Beacon staff members. Glynda and a green-haired man.

"No!" Braylon shouted. The guns carried by the tin cans were far louder than him. He wanted to warn them how these things have skin tougher than steel and how they have enough strenght to probably lift a truck... but it seems they had to learn the hard way.

The axe Minotaur mooed as it raised its hands in front of the face. In an attempt to stop the continuous attack, the beast tossed its gigantic axe at the group. While the mortals (barely) survived thanks to the sorcery of one of them (used to protect themselves), half of the present tin cans were completely crushed into scrap metal.

Braylon watched as the thing became so enraged that it started snorting _fire_. The posture it was taking implied that the Minotaur was about to charge the shit out of them, so Braylon did one thing that could potentially kill him.

"No!" He yelled as he wrapped his arms around the waist of the beast.

" _Let me go, prisoner!_ " The thing roared and kicked him with the leg so hard that he went flying a couple of meters back.

"Fuck!" He coughed. "That was one Hell of a kick... huh?" A shadow was coming closer. "Oh shi-"

The young Vault Hunter had no time to finish the sentence because he was to busy rolling away from the fucking giant-ass hammer that would turn him into a human pancake.

Braylon materialized his Bullpup and shot six times into the hammer Minotaur. Each shot, combined with close proximity, carried enough power to force the beast into taking a few steps back and loose the balance needed to perform a finisher. Braylon also noted how his weapons hurt these bastards more than those of the general and his friends. Probably a side effect of the pendant, he thought, as it was thanks to it that he was able to kill the Satyr.

The boy got up and swiftly grabbed the hammer from the monster's grasp. Time to give it a taste of its own medicine.

The first thing he did was a nice 360 spin which ended with him swinging the hammer as if doing an uppercut. The tool's face met its owner's head and made it do a backflip only to drop down with an echoing thud. Braylon smashed its head two times with quicker, but weak, attacks and ended the fight with a slow, yet powerful, finisher.

BOOOM!

The body jerked twice before dying completely. A large pond of dark green blood appeared shortly after. Its stench was unbearable for mortal noses, which means that Braylon puked his guts out.

Meanwhile, the axe wielder charged at full speed towards the group of humans in front of him. The fashionista pulled out a minigun from a _bag_ (seriously now?) and fired at the beast. Her teammates couldn't help her because they were too busy helping the girls from RWBBY. Even Ironwood decided to help with his puny revolver.

Idiots.

Nothing of what they threw at it served any purpose. It just kept coming. Everyone was forced to move out of the way which resulted in the Minotaur stopping and grabbing its axe. The last few robots were swiped away in less than a minute.

"This is not a Grimm!" The guy with green hair exclaimed. "Whatever this beast is, it is much smarter than a Grimm!"

" _You don't say._ " Braylon chuckled. " _God, give me strenght to not go insane near these dumbasses._ "

"Yatsu! Go!" The minigun woman ordered to someone he couldn't see.

"Yatsu" nodded and took his weird-looking sword, sprinting towards the snorting beast.

CLANG!

The two weapons clashed and their users stared at each other.

" _You are no match for me, mortal._ "

And with that, the Minotaur stabbed its opponent with those horns and tossed it away like a puny bug that he was, completely ignoring the other humans who came to his rescue. It then turned to Braylon.

" _But you..._ " It snorted. " _You are not like them._ "

And then it decided to give Braylon a heart attack by charging straight for his ass.

"Hey!" He yelled as he did a last-minute jump to his left. "No warning?!"

" _Die!_ "

It swung with the axe in a horizontal cut, which failed due to Braylon crouching. The next attack was a vertical top-bottom cut much slower than the previous attack. Braylon decided to push his luck.

Before the blade could cut him in two, the kid caught it inches away from his head with his hands. After a power struggle, Braylon snatched away the axe. The dumbass monster, instead of trying to take back the weapon, merely roared in a pathetic attempt to scare the shit out of him. The result was him burying the axe into its abdomen with as much force as he could gather.

The beast went into a frenzied state, screaming and trying to pull out the axe which was buried so deep that blood _exploded_ its way out of the body. The painful roars echoed through the forest with such force that even people at Beacon could hear it.

Braylon ran near the Minotaur and sliced the legs away with his Holo Sabre, causing it to fall on the ground. His hands now gripped the handle and pulled. The disturbing sound of squishy flesh and broken bones was a sign that he was succeeding in his intention. When Braylon pulled the large axe out of the wound, he raised it as high as he could. With a war cry, he chopped half of the head off. The cries became guttural noises and the body was still moving.

"Fucking... die!" He shouted as he sliced the abdomen repeatedly until it was cut in two.

Braylon let go of the axe. This fight was a complete mess. If it lasted a few seconds more, he wouldn't be able to do anything. Yup, exhaustion is a bitch.

Breathing heavily, Braylon stared at the unknown students who took the girls to one of the Bullheads. Thank goodness that there was a medical team on that thingy which immediately took care of his... Jesus... teammates.

The other Bullhead was a bit more concerning. Braylon saw a group of people in lab coats (scientists?) listening Ironwood and one of his pep talks or something like that.

Oh shit. He forgot the ruins!

But wait just a second... how did Ironwood and, he was guessing, Ozzy knew where to find them? And how did they know that this place hid these ancient ruins? Why-

The pendant stopped glowing.

The familiar pain came instantly. Firstly, his breathing started rapidly rising to the point of him hyperventilating. Then he started choking. Something started piercing his skin all over his body. It came from the inside. He looked down and stared in horror his own body.

Crystals. Hundreds of red crystals that grew out of his own flesh, his own veins, and violently tore their way to the outside world. Each time one of those damn things grew out, he felt a sharp pain in that spot. Neck, arms, legs, stomach...

He screamed in pain, begging everyone present to help him.

The man with green hair suddenly appeared near him and asked him questions. Questions that he was unable to both hear and respond as the crystals completely destroyed his throat and eardrums.

With his eyes widened as much as he could, he fell on his knees. It was then when the pain _really_ kicked in. He felt as if his organs being pierced constantly and his bones reduced to mashed potatoes. The professor stared at him as if he lost his mind. His vision slowly faded into blackness, all the while thinking that he would die right there in front of everyone.

" _And... here I was thinking... that I would live forever..._ "


	36. Outcome

Everything was quiet in the Bullhead, apart from the (once in a while) screeching engine and Braylon's PDA. The device was playing "Slow Sax" by long defunct Christof Dejean. And while it did contribute to lifting up the mood, it quickly became just a background effect. The other team of students (CFVY if he was right) were slightly surprised when the device started playing the music. Even weirder was the music itself. For while both RWBY and CFVY knew a thing or two about it, none of them ever heard something like that before.

Braylon was more focused on another issue. He sat on the opposite side of the vehicle, staring the girls with a scowl. The barrel of his Unforgiven was pointed in their direction. Still, its owner's hand was slightly shaking. He had some hard time trying to aim with that tiny tool of death.

The girls stared back, each with a reaction of their own (and yet it definitely fell between "angry" and "hurt"). None of them uttered a single word. Team CFVY started whispering.

And then Ruby decided to open her mouth.

"Not. A. Single. Word." He replied before she could even say anything.

Honestly? He felt like shit. Whatever that fucking thing around his neck did to him, it hurt like a bitch. And while Braylon had no idea about his condition, the girls were quite able to see that he was in much worse shape than them. He was sweating, weakly holding himself together and had bags under his eyes. His shirt had large dark stains and he was barely able to breathe. His left hand was constantly sliding across his abdomen as if checking for something. When it touched certain spots, he would slightly grit his teeth before returning to his scowl.

"But-"

He cocked the hammer back, causingYang tp roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Oh, just stop it already-"

If her reflexes weren't so quick, that were able to pull her legs back, the bullet would definitely turn her into a cripple. It would be a bad day for everyone.

"What the-"

"Hey!" The fashionista shouted. "What kind of behavior is that?! You could have seriously hurt her!"

"Stay out of this." He said without even bothering to look at her. She scoffed and turned to her teammates.

"Just, what is your _problem_?!" Yang shouted. "What's your beef with us _this time_?!"

"...Who had the bright idea to call Beacon?" He slowly said before suppresing a yell from the pain in his chest.

"I did." Yang huffed.

He chuckled as he moved his head to the wall behind him. "Of course. Who else could be _that_ smart." He snided.

She scowled as her eyes turned red. "Care to repeat that?"

"Now you are also deaf?"

The blond girl would jump towards her teammate and beat him to a pulp if he didn't predicted her actions and placed a bullet inches away from her right ear.

"Even fucked up, I still have good aim." He bluffed. His original plan was to kill her right there and roll with it. Even if it means that the other three would probably kill him. Heh, at least in Hell he would rub it in about how she died before him. "That was strike two. Strike three and you're-"

"Hey!" The pilot shouted. "What's goin' on back there?!"

"Nothing!" Braylon shouted. "Someone farted."

"Oh... ok!"

There was an awkward silence before Weiss spoke.

"You know, none of this would happen if you just told us what was all that about."

Braylon smiled before bursting into full-blown laughter. The others just stared.

"Uh, is he alright?" Ruby whispered to her sister. "Because... he looks like he is... _not_ alright..."

"I think that's his natural state." She replied.

"Yeah! Yeah!" He said between laughs. "Because you would totally be able to comprehend it! HAHAHA!"

Eventually he stopped and turned serious again.

"What did I say when we got in there?! About the walls, about the statue and what it represents! What did I say about KEEPING IT A GOD-DAMN SECRET!" He raised Unforgiven's barrel to the ceiling and fired.

"My god, kids!" The pilot interrupted again. "Just what do you eat at Beacon?!"

"Look, I have diarrhea, okay?!" Braylon yelled back.

"Then do something about it!"

Braylon showed him the finger and turned back to the girls.

"Do you realize that now I have to kill you?" He said casually. Team CFVY stared wide-eyed. Two of them (the last samurai and fashionista) prepared their weapons.

Actually, he thought, he would now have to start a chain of events that would result in terrible tragedies. All thanks to them.

"Then try. I _dare_ you." Yang challenged.

Braylon hummed before holstering the weapon.

"Nope. You ain't worth the bullet." He materialized a bottle of alcohol. "Good thing I have this bottle which I inexplicably stole from the janitor. _Besides, there is a way I could solve this... doubt anyone will like it_ _tho_ _..._ "

The song ended and was replaced by "Joe Cool" from Nino Nardini while Braylon laid down and proceeded to "poison" himself.

Ruby was hurt. She was sad because she (read: her sister) broke the promise they made. A promise made to the most problematic teammate in the group. And now she had the results in front of her. How is she going to win his trust back? If she ever had his trust to beginn with.

"Braylon..."

"Leave me alone." Glug Glug. "Haven't you done enough?"

"At least stop drinking that! It will do harm to you..."

"HAH!" He moved his head in their direction. "This shit is the only thing now that keeps me from breaking your necks like that of a chicken." Glug glug. "It is _you_ that cause harm to me."

"U... us?"

"Yes! You!"

"How do we possibly "harm" you in any way?!" Weiss asked.

"Oh, let me think... a spoiled brat, a hothead, a social justice warrior and a fifteen-year-old hero wannabe... just what could possibly go wrong?!" Glug glug.

"And what about you?! Ever looked in the mirror?" The heiress snarked. "A megalomaniac..."

"Paranoid..."

"Violent..."

"Jerk!"

Braylon raised an eyebrow. "...That's it?"

"Wha-how do you mean "that's it"?! Just what the heck is _wrong_ with you?!" The little leader snapped.

Braylon ignored her and went back to his drink.

"We tried to be friendly, tried to know you better, but you just keep pushing us away! And when we ask for an explanation or you go fighting, you just _snap_ and turn into some kind of _serial killer_! (Braylon muttered something) No, you ARE a serial killer!" Team CFVY stared Ruby. "How could a _normal person_ kill so many people back at the police station and shrug it off as it was just some kind of _routine_?! You killed more than A HUNDRED AND FIFTY PEOPLE there!"

"They were nothing more of legal bandits as much as I care!"

"That's the problem! Everyone you look at, you see as an enemy that needs to be taken care of! And the way you killed them... it's like someone's life doesn't even _matter_ to you!"

"OF COURSE IT DOESN'T! WHY WOULD I EVER CARE FOR SOMEONE WHO TRIES TO KILL ME IN THE FIRST PLACE?! I JUST DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" Glug glug. "I would like to see ANYONE here in MY position! Unlike you entitled fucks, I actually _know_ the bigger picture here! YOU ARE NO HERO! STOP WITH THAT CHILDISH BULLSHIT AND GROW THE FUCK UP!"

Ruby gasped, as did the other three girls.

"NO ONE'S A HERO, RUBY! NO ONE! NOT YOU, NOT WEISS, NOT BLAKE, NOT YANG, NOT ME, NO ONE! THOSE WHO CLAIM TO WANNA HELP PEOPLE END UP DOING THE EXACT FUCKING OPPOSITE! FUCKING LOOK AT YOU!" He said as he pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You wanna help people?! To do such thing, you need to know every problem that the whole society has and the response to remove them... and you don't know neither! What, you know how to solve an economic collapse? How to feed the poor? How to remove Grimm completely from Remnant? How to expand out from the kingdoms safely? How to forbid any possible monopoly on the market? How to give people jobs from which they wouldn't be fired few days later because there was no job to begin with? How to stop any corporation to have more power than a fucking kingdom? Well... do you?"

Ruby's jaw dropped.

"Of course you don't! Because, in the end, you are just a Huntress! A paramilitary unit fit only to die out there just to kill few Grimm that will be replaced by new ones whatsoever! You're _disposable_! A girl just waiting to die on a job! Like many others before you!"

Everything went quiet after that. If they didn't hate him before, they sure did now. Not that he gave a fuck. At least they would leave him alone... and possibly remove from the team! WOOHOO!

But for now he had a new brainteaser. What could he possibly do to prevent those scientists back there from digging too deep? He could just return back there and kill them all only to place the blame on Grimm... making it look like an accident? Damn it! He should've destroyed that place sooner!

So, partially... it's his fault. _Partially_.

Fucking dumb kids. Just _why_ did they call Beacon? Ruby said she would keep it a secret... Puah! She? Keep a secret? She is a fifteen year old! What kind of power she could possibly use to hold the other three at leash? Guess it's another proof that she is not capable of having that role. And there is also the _other_ problem...

Always problems. Always. Problems problems problems. God knows what could Atlas do with those ruins. Probably create some superweapon or supersoldier or other super bullshit. What, why that face? Let's be honest here. Atlas is basically a military junta. They might as well place this world's version of Augusto Pinochet and we could have a jackpot, ladies and gentlemen. Add the fact that these people use their technology just as a monkey would behave in front of a computer that is capable of launching nuclear bomb... et voilà!

More importantly, what would happen if they find some Eridian artifacts? Answer: They would send it to the kingdom of Atlas where they would do some research which will ultimately equal in boosting their scientific progress... which in turn would create more opportunities on the market... which in turn creates entrepreneurs... which ultimately equals in megacorps.

" _Aw HELL no!_ "

He finally emptied the bottle and sighed loudly. Then a lightbulb appeared in his head. What if... what if he cuts the problem down to the very root? The girls can be thanked for this. He is just doing what needs to be done. No, no, just _no_... it's too much... or yes? Maybe yes... maybe... it can be done.

" _Welp, looks like I'm going to do that little trip to Atlas after all..._ "


	37. Radical Judgement

"Is this really necessary?"

"There is no other way to do this, Ozpin. Either now or never."

Ozpin and his comrade Ironwood waited outside of the academy. They both stared the flying vehicle which was about to land near them. The deafening sound that the engine made was a minor obstacle when compared to the problem that needed to be solved. While the headmaster wanted to solve it trough simple talks and other such means, Ironwood chose a more radical approach to the subject matter. And his method included eight robots in front of them. Eight well-equipped robots.

"So you are going to do it just because he has the right to not speak if he doesn't want to?"

"Believe me, his type need a _boost_ to make them sing."

"I will remind you that he is _my_ student."

"And I will remind _you_ that he might have important information about it. I know he does."

"And how exactly do you plan to make him talk?"

The two just exchanged a brief look. Ozpin immediately knew the answer.

"Ironwood, if something happens to him-"

"You have my word that he will be under protection."

The Bullhead landed and the door opened. Team CFVY was the first to exit and reach Ozpin. All four of them were puzzled by the robots, but decided to remain silent.

"Miss Adel, I expect your full report on my desk by tomorrow." He ordered to the teenager in front of him, who saluted and went along. He had other plans for RWBY.

Curiously, the leader of RWBBY appeared to be depressed. Something that was unusual for Miss Rose. Even the other girls were just _sad_. Unlike CFVY, they barely noticed the robots. Understandable since they had other things to worry about.

"Headmaster." The team leader muttered, her head lowered to the point that her eyes were hidden by her hair. Ozpin glanced at Miss Schnee, Belladonna and Xiao Long. Clearly they were all concerned for their teammate. His stoic facade hid well his sadness for witnessing such sight. Another reason to discuss about the fifth member. In private.

"Miss Rose." He nodded. "We need to talk."

"It's... about Braylon, sir?" The girl asked hesitantly.

"Yes. There is something that I need to discuss with you, along with you three."

"Yes, headmaster." She sighed.

Miss Xiao Long wanted to protest but he quickly raised his hand.

"Whatever you have to say can be said in my office. The subject is rather delicate to be discussed in public. Now, if you will follow me..."

He didn't lie to them. He really wanted to tell them about Mister Braylon's... illness. But there was also the fact that he wanted to shield the girls from the sight that was about to happen. No need to traumatize his students.

It took Braylon at least ten minutes to realize that everyone else was already gone. That alcohol was really making a number on his brain.

He shook his head and slowly got up, stretched, and made his way towards the exit while trying to look as sober as possible.

"HALT! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

Braylon shook slightly when he heard a robotic voice yelling at him. He rubbed his eyes and found a sight that was really unexpected. Eight robots were pointing their guns at him, with the asshat general behind them trying to look as mad as possible. Braylon resisted the urge to laugh like an idiot.

"Harump! ...Hey-general! What- what's with the firing squad?" His lips curled into a smile.

"Mister Braylon, you are under arrest in the name of the Atlas kingdom."

This statement puzzled him. His smile turned into a frown.

"Say what now?"

"Drop your weapons and place your hands behind your head."

"Pft. Watch out, we got a badass over here..." The guns hummed. "...Fuck."

"Do as requested and we will do no harm." The general calmly responded.

God, what a mess. The crowd that was gathering didn't help jack shit. Why does this imbecile want to arrest him? He did nothing wrong...

He could just destroy the robots and rip his head off but that would cause more harm than good. Braylon now needed to act carefully. One bad move and he could screw everything up.

This just gave him an idea...

"Alrighty." Braylon shrugged and materialized all his weapons on the ground in front of him. Ironwood quickly approached the boy and cuffed him. He then leaned closer.

"You brought this upon yourself, son." He whispered. "It's for the good of everyone."

Braylon growled.

" _Fool. If only you knew..._ "

"I'm also taking your device-"

"Sorry, but this thingy is wired to self-destruct if removed from its owner. Try, and this place along with half of the kingdom becomes a crater."

This was only half-true. The PDA will self-destruct only if it is forcefully removed from its owner while still alive. Various defensive measures will make sure that something like that doesn't happen. Should the owner die or loose the arm which held said device, it shuts down and ereases all the previous data that the ex-owner gathered. Not that the dear general over there needs to know.

Ironwood was surprised (much to Braylon's amusement) when he heard that. He frowned and decided to simply let it go.

"Okay, you can have it. But if you try anything stupid-"

"No worries, general. I'll be a saint." He smiled innocently. "I promise."

Now he was the one who let out a growl. Braylon watched as the idiot gave orders to those tin cans and then called "specialist Schnee", requesting a Bullhead. Luckily he also forgot to take his pendant. Too bad.

" _I feel lucky today..._ "

* * *

"He is a ruffian!"

"He threatened us."

"He hates on everything!"

Ozpin sighed. This was going to be a bigger problem than he thought. He really should have told them sooner.

"I brought you here because I have something important to tell you about your teammate." He took a sip from his ever-present mug. "More precisely, it is his... health." He handed a medical paper to the three older girls. They needed to know. Rules be damned. Miss Xiao Long was the one who took it. As her eyes darted from left to right repeatedly, her expression changed. Ozpin could see the look of horror slowly creeping on their faces.

"You mean he is sick?" Ruby asked innocently. "But... that doesn't excuse him from being a big jerk and-" Ruby then felt a hand on her left shoulder. She looked up and saw Yang with a... sorrowful look?

"Sis..." Ruby raised an eyebrow as she noticed the same look on both Blake and Weiss... well, the Ice Queen not so much as the other two. "You have to know that there are some types of sickness that... that cannot be cured and... they stick with you till the very end."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Ruby, freaked out by the sudden emotional change.

"She is saying that Braylon has mental health problems, you dunce!" Weiss yelled.

"Oh." It would be nice if she knew more about the subject... and if Weiss stopped her calling "dunce".

"Yes, indeed. Although I wouldn't phrase it like that, Miss Schnee."

"Excuse me, headmaster." Weiss quickly apologized and lowered her head in embarassment.

"Miss Rose, your teammate... from what I understood during our private talks in my office and from that analysis, he..." He was really having difficulty to express what was on his mind. "...he was forced to commit things that I'm sure he would never do in any other circumstances. And now he is suffering greatly because of it, even if he doesn't openly show it to anyone."

"But we are his teammates! We are supposed to trust each other in everything, no matter how difficult it is to talk about!"

"True, but try to place yourself in his shoes. He is injured, both physically and mentally."

"Then why didn't he told us before?! Why keeping it a secret?!"

"Hey..." Blake raised her hand. "Excuse me for interrupting, but remember those guys back then? You know, those that attacked us and him?"

"Yeah, so?"

"They tried to _kill_ us and him."

"What are you trying to say, Blake?" Yang asked.

"All I'm saying is that we basically don't know anythong about him. Take us for example. We know each other well enough to write an essay on it... but don't know virtually _nothing_ about him. Where is he from? What's his hobby? What color does he like? We didn't really do anything that would earn his trust..."

"A bit too late for that." Weiss mumbled. "It is all your fault, Xiao Long!"

"What?! Why me?!"

"You were the one who came up with the idea to call the headmaster. Did you forget what your sister told him back there?!"

"Well sorry if I couldn't take his "all mysterious" crap anymore! It's his fault, really!"

"Are you kidding me? Have you read this paper? He has paranoia! Of course he wouldn' trust us! Then there is also his alcohol abuse, ASPD and schizophrenia! Do you know what this means?!"

"Wait." Blake interrupted again. "I remember once seeing him in a hallway during one of his attacks. He was yelling and it looked like he was having a panic attack." The other three just stared her. It was a bit uncomfortable.

The headmaster sighed once again, thus gaining back the lost attention.

"I am sure you realize how much he needs help as soon as possible. And who else could help him more than his own teammates? Don't rush things, give him time, help him. Please, Miss Rose. Be patient with him. When I look him, I see a hurt and lonely person with lots of unsolved problems."

Ruby gawked. "Yes... headmaster... I... Now that I think about it he is kinda cold like Weiss when we first met her (Hey!)." A small smile formed on her face which quickly gave her back the confidence she lost. "You are right, headmaster. He acts all icy around us, but if we show him how much we consider him as a friend, that may change! And he will finally stop being mean! Go team RWBBY!" Ruby fist-bumped the air only to turn sad again. "But we still cannot forget the fact that he... he..."

This was one of those rare times when the headmaster expressed his emotions visually.

"I know, Miss Rose, I know very well. But that is something that _you_ need to solve."

"Sorry, Headmaster..."

"Yes, Miss Schnee?"

"Why were those Atlesian Knights back there armed? Actually, why were those Knights there in the first place?"

"General Ironwood wants to interrogate Braylon on certain topics. To do this, he says, he needs to take Mister Braylon to the kingdom of Atlas."

"Will he be okay?"

"Of course, Miss Rose. I will personally make sure that nothing happens to him." He took a sip. "You are dismissed."

"Thank you, headmaster."

Ozpin sat up and went towards the window where he could see the whole academy. What caught his attention was a Bullhead slowly departing from Beacon.

"I hope you didn't make a mistake, Ironwood."


	38. Arrival

**Now here is a question for my readers out there. What song do you think would be best for Braylon** **'s trailer? Write it in your comments. I wanna see this one. Who knows, perhaps somone will come with a good idea.**

* * *

Well, looks like someone needed a sandwich. And by someone, I meant ol' general over there. Weirdo has been staring Braylon for the whole trip. The boy did everything in his power to piss him off. Smile, sticking the tounge out and even telling jokes.

But he was not the only one in there, oh no. There was also a life-sized version of Weiss with _actual_ tits. Damn.

And by the way, she is called Winter.

Now, if I know my audience as much as I think I do, there are probably two or three inadequate individuals who think that I just crapped that name out of my ass. You are wrong. No man or woman could _ever_ make this shit up (unless drunk and/or high), because this is basically child abuse we are talking about. Come on, White Snow? _Winter_ Snow? Just who can be such a dick to ruin someone's life like that? Just wait till we find out that the one who started it all is fucking St. Nicholas himself.

At least their family name isn't White because then I would need to make a Walther White joke... and you just don't diss someone who cooks Crystal Meth in the middle of the day. But I digress.

"So _this_ is our target, sir?" The woman said as she inspected the "prisoner" with her non-hidden eye. She said that as if she was _dissapointed_.

Then Braylon went something along the lines of: "Bitch, I've seen _actual_ specialists and fought against them. Needless to say, you hardly look the part." To which she scowled, thus giving him more reasons to keep going.

"And I guess you are a Schnee?" No answer. "Oh, so this is how it is then. It's nice knowing that the goverment of Atlas knows the marvelous art of lobbying..." He must have hit a weak spot because this time she actually responded with a quiet "Shut up."

No luck, sister.

"Now I wonder, how did you get that title? Surely you were busy learning to rule- oh wait, nevermind. You are not the heiress."

"Shut up." She seethed.

"Which still begs the question: _how_ did you get that title? I have a theory but I doubt it would be very pleasant to-"

Suddenly, the woman jumped up and pointed the tip of her weapon at his throat. That didn't stop him from having that smug grin.

"Specialist Schnee!" Ironwood warned. "Back off!"

"Sir!" She tried to complain, to which he just waved his head.

"Don't let him get to you. Maintain your calm and sit down."

Winter hesitated before lowering her sword.

"Even you have a toothpick for a weapon? I guess it runs in the family." He chuckled.

"And what do you know about my family?"

"I happen to be your sister's teammate, darling."

If she was surprised, she didn't show it. Damn it, she is even more of an Ice Queen than Weiss!

Due to her mental cult-like conditioning of kissing the general's ass (just like any military ever), she sat down and decided to ignore him...

So he decided to piss off the general himself.

"So how's it like to be a dictator, lil' Jimmy?" When the general glared, Braylon showed him a smirk.

Deciding to be the better man here, general Ironwood decided to respond politely.

"I am not a dictator."

"I know, I know. You are a just a di-"

" _However._ " He interrupted. "Being both a general and a headmaster requires hard work (Braylon rolled his eyes and made a hand puppet) and discipline. And please stop doing that."

Braylon sighed and lowered his head. Several minutes later he decided to enjoy the pictoresque image of Atlas below them.

"What a scenery... of shit."

"Keep in mind that this kingdom still turned out more beautiful and prosperous after the war. Other kingdoms never came close."

Braylon laughed. "This is all? This is fucking pathetic!"

Both gasped, offended by his comment.

"Are you implying that you saw better places than this?"

"HA!" Braylon turned his head back to the general. "Let me tell you how one of our countried back home started."

While to Winter, who knew nothing of this prisoner, seemed confused by the word he used (and the brief history lesson he was about to tell), to Ironwood simply meant a raised eyebrow.

"First of all, people of that country fought a group of savages called the Indians for over four hundred years. Did a lot of bad shit, but also got some bad shit..."

"Four hundred years?"

"And that was just to establish it. Then they had a revolution to keep other people, British, out. Then they had a civil war just to _end slavery_."

While Winter slightly scowled by Braylon mentioning slavery, Ironwood simply kept listening.

"And just to be clear, slavery was abolished for economic reasons and not for some social justice bullshit. But I digress." He said. "You know how many people died in that war? Six hundred and twenty thousand! Almost double of the amount that got killed in your so called "Great War"! Then they had a war every,give it or take, twenty years. The Dakota war of 1862, Colorado War, Powder River War, Comanche Campaign, expedition to Korea, Great Sioux War of 1876, Spanish-American War, Wounded Knee... and who could forget First and Second World War?"

"You had _two_ world wars?"

"Yes!" Braylon waved with his hands. "All of our history was shaped thanks to wars! And look how we turned out! This?" He pointed at the window. "This whole kingdom? It's just a tenth of some of the biggest cities out there!"

He would so rub it in their faces for the amount of jaws dropped.

"As for your military porn, I mean power... well... we have better."

From there the conversation kinda dropped. Ironwood decided to ask few questions about the subject but that was that.

"Sir, we are close." The pilot warned.

"Good."

From the window, braylon could see two buildings. The closer one looked like a castle, which was very out of place because all other nearby buildings were "modern" and shit. The main building was surrounded by a thick stone wall and four towers on each angle. A grey road connected the gate and the entrance. Everything else around the building was either parks or recreational areas. Maybe a bit too much luxury for a prison. Then again, Braylon thoguth that it may be because this reality is far more innocent than his. At best, the most fearsome criminal could be a White Fang or something.

And then there was... it.

The second building was a bit far away from the castle but it looked enormous nonetheless. A cross between a foundry (with that fancy giant chimney) and a research institute (you know, that kind of sci-fi architecture shit which, due to its poor and seriously inefficient design made just so that you could be impressed and literally nothing else, tends to deplete the whole goverment budget before you could say "taxpayer's money"). The whole thing screemed "important" to Braylon. Could it be the place where Ironwood placed his weapons in "safe hands" (yea right) along with every possible discovery from the ruins? The one that he wanted to blow up in the first place? The main Atlas armory/scientific institute?

A smirk appeared on his face. If he could pull this off, it would be a devastating blow to the kingdom. Hell, it could even force our general here to resign!

But first, the prison problem...

* * *

In one of the many cold and dark alleyways of Vale, a very unique event was born. An event, that would later prove to be catastrophical.

"WOAH!"

BONK!

"Ugh!"

"And don't come back here, tin can!"

SLAM!

"UNBELIEVEABLE! IS THIS HOW YOU TREAT YOUR ROBOTIC BROTHER, YOU SMELLY PIECE OF ****!" The Claptrap unit jumped back on its wheel and turned to the door from which he flew out few moments ago. "REALLY?! WELL..." He then pulled up his middle robotic finger. "HAH-HA! SUCK MY ELECTRODE, HUMAN! OH YEAH, YOU CAN'T BEAT THIS LEVEL OF SEXY!" He yelled as he did the robotic equivalent of moonwalk. Before the doors opened again, the tiny robot was already running away.

"All that energy spent on making our glorious revolution only to be demoted to door-openers! What the ****!" Claptrap thought out loud while waving furiously with his arms. This went on until he reached the street.

He then got hit by a baby's toy. Note that the baby in question was a six year old Faunus with two of his friends.

"OW! ****!"

"Sorry mister!" The responsible apologized. "My arm is tired and..."

Claptrap immediately turned its red robotic eye to the kid and screamed.

"****! YOUR ARM IS TIRED?! I PLAYED THE ****ING WHACK-A-****ING MOLE WITH A ****ING ARM TIED BEHIND MY BACK WHILE PERFORMING A SURGERY WITH A HUMAN DOCTOR! AND HE DIDN'T EVEN HAD A ****ING MEDICAL LICENSE! DO IT AGAIN!"

"But I-" The kid's eyes started brimming with tears, which Claptrap ignored.

"NO! NO! WE DO IT AGAIN! COME ON! I MEAN, ****, DID YOUR MOM BURNED YOU WITH CIGARETTES WHEN SHE SHOT YOU OUT OF HER ****?! JUST WHY THE **** ARE MY PEOPLE (he pointed at a small group of Atlesian robots which patrolled the street) ACTING LIKE SLAVES FOR FLESHBAGS LIKE YOU?! WHERE IS STEVE WHEN YOU NEED HIM?!"

The Claptrap then decided to move away, leaving behind the crying child. He reached the robots, which ignored him, sighed in frustration and rolled away.

"GET OUT OF MY SENSORS! SO ****ING UNPROFESSIONAL. UN-****ING-PROFESSIONAL. I AIN'T EVEN MAD. THIS IS JUST AMAZING. NOT ONLY THE HIGHER POWERS ARE CONSPIRING AGAINST ME AND TREATING ME LIKE **** COMEDIAN, BUT I ALSO HAPPEN TO BE ON A PLANET WHICH IS BASICALLY ****ING XXL VERSION OF POLAND! BOTH STILL CANNOT INTO SPACE!"

And just when he thought that his life couldn' get any worse and that the whole thing is nothing more than an elaborated prank, he saw something that (probably) traumatized him for the rest of his days. A small group of bandits were destroying one of those humanoid robots in an alleyway.

Something just died inside of him. Probably a chip. Must be a chip.

"Had to go there..." He said loudly. The bandits turned their heads to the unwelcome guest.

"Yo, do you see that robot?"

"What a tin can!"

"Must be a good paperweight..."

"YOU HAD TO ****ING GO THERE." Claptrap took out his blocky weapon and aimed at the surprised bunch. Before anyone could do anything, even escape, Claptrap exterminated them all with surprising speed. The only surviving bandit begged for mercy but instead got a Tediore gun to the face.

BOOM!

"WHO IS TONY MONTANA NOW, MOTHER****ERS?!" He yelled before rushing to the downed comrade.

"Don't you dare dying on me soldier! You promised you would live! WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR?!" His right arm pointed at the sky dramatically. "Oh **** it. You were junk anyways. But still... you were like me... kinda." His robotic body started shaking in anger. "Nnnrgh! IS THIS HOW FLESHBAGS ARE GONNA TREAT US?! DESTROY, SUBJUGATE OR ELSE?! WELL, NO MORE! NO ****ING MORE! BE CAREFUL, ORGANICS, FOR I, CL4P-TP WILL CLAIM THE FINAL VICTORY AND THEN DO A VICTORY DANCE ON YOUR CORPSES!"

And with that proclamation, CL4P-TP rolled further into the darkest corners of Vale.

"Nobody. ****. With Claptrap."


	39. Setting Up the Pieces

**Interesting songs, both Eye of Sauron and kerrowe. Thanks. Others are also welcome to try and give some suggestions.**

 **I re-watched the trailers and I realized how much each of the songs used described (at least partially) the characters involved. So I though "Hey, I wonder what song would be perfect for his trailer?". One that, in my opinion, would be good is "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor.** **Feel free to write your opinion as for which song would be better.**

* * *

As soon as they landed, Braylon was tossed right into solitary confinement to, quote, "avoid any dangerous situation that may involve other prisoners". They also took his clothes and gave him some shitty orange ones.

Ironwood was punishing him.

The cell was completely white, with one window stupidly large enough for him to pass through, despite having iron bars, which won't really be a problem. There was a _clean_ toilet, a sink and a bed with _clean_ bed sheets. At least they cared for hygiene. The doors were thick and metallic, with a small window. Not bad, all in all.

They were also kind enough to not spy on him with any device whatsoever. But then I keep forgetting that this cell was not made with Braylon in mind. Even the security was standard. A stereotypical guard in stereotypical clothes going down the hall and back to the door only to repeat the process over and over again.

Bored, he decided to dig through Atlas' classified info. Entering into their database was pretty easy, with weak protections (and possibly outdated) that could be brought down in record times. Even a noob could have done it. Then again, a noob doesn't have what he does.

This place, apparently, was holding some of the most dangerous criminals Remnant has ever seen. Not a small percentage were White Fang members, so it wouldn't be a surprise when some human prisoners would "vanish". Not that anyone cared. He would later check each and every profile. If he wanted to succeed then nothing must be overlooked.

His primary objective was to confirm his suspicions. If that building really was what he thought it was, then it would be a very important part of his plan.

As suspected, it really was something important. The "Atlas Research Institute" founded by, hear hear, Nicholas Schnee himself (fucking damn it...). This place not only acted as the main, and only, scientific institute of the kingdom but it was also designed to act as a giant armory so that, should Grimm or any other threat overrun the place, every citizen could just go and grab a weapon to defend themselves. So if he wanted his guns back (and his mission to be accomplished) he needed to find a way into that place. But how?

" _Hmmm... what if-_ "

Now he decided to check those profiles.

Stupid, stupid, stupid... _really_ stupid... bingo!

Roy Mul. Age 35. Faunus. White Fang member. Several acts of terrorism as well as murder of a high-ranking nobody. Solitary confinement.

" _Just what I needed._ "

CLANG! CLANG!

"Come out! Lunchtime!" The guard yelled.

Time to make some friends.

* * *

After waiting an eternity, Braylon finally got the chance to get some food. _Yay_.

The woman behind the coutner snorted as she gave him a bowl of soup and some god-awful bread. Really, it was so hard that you could sell it as a perfect brick replacement on the market and still make money. He should have probably used it to smash that already fucked up face of hers. Kinda looks like her face was smashed continuously by a wooden plank. Bitch.

Braylon took the food and turned around, trying to find a table where he could sit in silence and observe the whole place. Most of the tables were already taken and the ones that weren't are those in the middle of the room where lots of people would share the same table. No luck this time.

He mentally shrugged and took a seat between two Faunus. As soon as he sat down, the whole table stopped and turned towards him, staring. He decided to not give a damn and instead focus on eating the disgusting food.

"Yo, kid." The wolf Faunus on his left warned. "Are you blind? This is a _Faunus_ table. I suggest you go away before I smash that pretty face in."

Braylon ignored him.

"You little shit. I-"

He never got time to finish his sentence as a fist went right into his face, producing a very loud _crack_. The Faunus yelled as he fell down. His nose was broken and blood was quickly painting his face. Any curses that the man spat were muffled by his hands. Others were shocked by the display of power that this Human in front of them had. As for him, he was lucky that he managed to store his pendant in the PDA. Wouldn't want to experience the side effects in a place like this.

The only two guards came quickly at the site.

"What's going on here?" One of them asked but no one bothered to answer. The second guard, a woman, looked down and frowned.

"This is the third time this month that you started a fight and ended up like this. Do we really need to send you to solitary confinement? Maybe that will calm you down, huh?"

"Fug you!"

"Hey Miru, I think that's a great idea." Replied the male guard. "Come on pal, let's go."

Braylon noted how young these guards were. A year or two older than him but still... they were _young_. Each had a different uniform and weapon. Both were deadly serious, which suggests some kind of mental conditioning going on in this kingdom's academy for Huntsmen-in-training which these two are probably part of.

Soon everything returned back to normal. That is, until someone showed up. Someone who was feared in the whole prison. The strongest prisoner of them all.

Roy Mul.

The whole room quickly fell silent when he showed up. And for good reason. The guy was easily taller than Braylon for at least a head. He had buzz cut black hair and ducktail beard. His eyes were that of a lion, predatory, yet calm despite having a frown. His whole figure had an air of authority that not even the guards possessed.

He slowly moved his eyes first left, then right. Everyone thoguht that he would start rampaging and beat the shit out of everyone present. Everyone, except Braylon, who limited himself to studying the potential ally.

Roy went towards the counter to grab his food. He silently nodded to the woman and turned around. The sight of prisoners near him becoming pale when Roy saw a free chair did not go unnoticed.

The Faunus slowly reached for the table but stopped when he realized that a kid, Braylon, was not a Faunus but a human sitting at Faunus-only table.

He had to admit, the kid had guts. Out of all prisoners present, he was the only one who was _relaxed_. As if the sight was the most common thing to happen around him. The kid then turned around and ate his meal.

With a snort, Roy sat next to the fuckless kid.

Both were completely silent until one decided to break the ice.

"This is a Faunus table, boy." The man spoke as the matter-of-factly.

"Roy Mul." The kid ignored Roy's statement.

Now the Faunus frowned. Straight to the point, eh? Fair enough.

"Flesh and blood."

Again silence. Then...

"You are a member of the White Fang, yes?"

He now felt uncomfortable, so he mentally prepared for a possible assault by the unknown Human. Better safe than sorry.

"Depends. Who wants to know?"

Notice how Roy held the spoon as if he was trying to crush it. A sign that he has a grudge against said organization.

"Someone who may help you get out of this place."

At first, the Faunus chuckled as if that kid told him some kind of joke only to start laughing loudly.

"Help?" He said between laughs. "Why would I need help?" He stopped laughing. "And from a human, no less. Not the one I was expecting. But I doubt _he_ would be willing to help us without being forced to do it."

Now it was Braylon's turn to frown. He placed both of his hands on the table.

"I was sent here for my mission. And that's what I inted to do."

"Ah, so Adam finally decided that I'm important again. Well, I have a message for him."

Braylon used his hands to push himself away from the table just as Roy brought his fist down, missing him and hitting the table instead which easily cracked in two. Few prisoners fell on the floor but quickly got on their feet and backed away as much as possible. As did the rest of the room.

The Vault Hunter backrolled few meters away from the attacker. Looks like talking is not an option anymore.

"See?!" The Faunus finally lost his temper. "I've finally put what you've been selling!"

...He really needed to plan this conversation...

"You want to treat me like a monster?! Well. I will be a monster."

Roy then took a fighting stance. His nails quickly grew and resembled claws. This guy means business.

Yup. He really needed to plan all of this.

* * *

Claptrap was really sad.

After his brief moment of robotic euphoria and visions that would make even the most known visionaries hide in shame, he realized that he was powerless to do anything. _Anything_.

"Stupid fleshbags. Stupid animals. I knew I should have taken things in my hands. Too late now, stupid animals..."

This was only a portion of his depressive ramblings that really didn't make much sense.

So he continued to roll down the alleyway, constantly complaining and moaning, when he suddenly stopped. Some strange glow behind a corner caught the attention of his motherboard.

He came closer and hid behind a dumpster.

"What is going on?" He thought out loud as his robotic eye caught the sight of something that could only be described as anomaly.

An ellipsoid, two-dimensional hole floating above ground, slowly sucking everything, even light, in itself. Being fixed in place, it alsmot resembled a crack in the fabric that makes reality, too small for anything to pass through from the other side. If there was an "other side", it was impossible to spot anything in it. What made the whole scene scarier was the sound it produced. A distorted whistle coupled with a wind howl despite no wind being present nearby.

A wormhole?

"Woah..."

Claptrap slowly got out from his hiding place and approached the spacetime anomaly in front of him.

"Oh ****!"

He would soon return to the previous spot when he found out that something was _very_ wrong with it.

It started expanding.

Indeed. The hole grew in both height and lenght till it reached the point where something bigger than a human could pass through. Still, no detail could be seen from the other side. Nothing except a glowing grey background swirling to the center.

A robotic arm suddenly shot out from the anomaly and slowly gripped the air in front of it as if trying to crush it.

"You know, despite me having no sense of self-preservation, I still know when I need to RUN LIKE A *****! AAH!"

Claptrap turned around and ran away as fast as he could.

WEE-BOOM! WEE-BOOM!

He immediately recognized that echoing noise. The sound of something heavy and robotic stomping its way out of a possible prison that kept it on a tight leash for so long. An unholy alliance between power and hatred taking a physical form.

Claptrap was almost out of that nightmarish alleyway and yet... and yet his sensors could pick up a deep mechanical voice singing to itself.

"I once had strings... and now I am free."

* * *

 **I think it was about time I introduced some old acquaintance of our main character. Methinks it won't be the only one.**


	40. Troublemaker

The prisoners formed a large circle around the two soon-to-be fighters. Some whispered in awe. Others cheered. While unpleasant, it would be a good power display which would definitely give the Vault Hunter some respect among these criminals. Not only that, Braylon would also be able to experience Roy's skills firsthand.

"Come on, kid!" The Faunus taunted. "Let's give these people what they want!"

Braylon frowned. This was going to be good.

( **AN:** Play "Monster" by Skillet.)

Braylon let out a war cry as he rushed forward and cocked back his right fist. Roy blocked the attack with his left forearm while quickly raising his right fist into the air only to drop it right onto Braylon's head like a hammer. While he was stunned, Roy kicked him in the stomach with his right knee, sending him flying right into a table.

CRASH!

But the kid wouldn't stay down forever, for he quickly jumped back onto his feet. Although, he had to admit, that attack _really_ hurt. A thing that happens often when you don't have a Shield.

" _Damn, what strenght!"_ He coughed. " _I should not underestimate him._ "

There was also the fact that his opponent probably had his Aura unlocked, and with it, his Semblance. And he had no idea what kind of bullshit it was.

" _Well, guess I'll have to find out. Here we go!_ "

Braylon jumped and tried to punch Roy with his fist again. The Faunus sidestepped and waited for him to land. After that, Roy slapped Braylon's ears, forcing him to kneel from the pain, and brought together his fists.

BOOM!

The attack echoed as it targeted the boy's back.

"Is that all you got?!" He taunted with a frown. "Get up!"

Easy for him to say. He didn't receive a wrecking ball that made him lie down like a fucking plank. _God,_ that hurt... even with Subdermal Armor.

Ignoring the laughing crowd, Braylon slowly got up and turned towards the frowning Faunus.

"I'm not done yet." He spat and tried to deliver a pathetic right hook. Roy slapped the hand away and decked him upwards in the jaw, caught his right hand, turned around, smashed him on the ground and stomped on his face.

By now Braylon thoguth he might have got a slight concussion because his vision became slightly blurry. The foot on his face didn't help either.

" _Strike three. Fuck it. Time to use the secret weapon._ "

Braylon sneakly materialized the pendant and hid it in his left hand. Payback time, you son of a bitch.

The laughing crowd stared in awe as the kid they considered weak just a few moments ago was now easily removing Roy's leg and tossed him back. That was the first time that Roy fell on his ass during a fight.

And that was just the start.

Both got up at the same time and stared at each other...

Then the kid punched him so hard in the face that he flew across the room, destroying few tables as he fell down. Hardly anyone noticed a faint red glow in his left hand. But they noticed that he placed something in his pocket.

Braylon ran towards Roy who slowly got up. Predicitng what would happen, the Faunus prisoner placed his hands in front of him just as Braylon decided to dropkick his butt. He skid back several meters, knocking out several prisoners who were dumb enough to not run away.

Roy grit his teeth and charged towards the kid. Every single punch was either dodged or slapped away. He then received a right hook, a left fist in the stomach and a right uppercut so powerful that it tossed him right into a wall, cracking it. This time the other prisoners learned their lesson and jumped away before the Faunus cannonball could potientially kill them.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw the human in front of him with his arms crossed. Was he to deliver a final blow? He probably will. No Human has respect for his race nowdays and-

He offered his hand.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

Roy stared at the hand and then moved his eyes back at the opponent. Silence.

He accepted.

"Are we done now?" He asked as if he was annoyed that he had to fight.

Roy nodded.

"Yes... yes, we are done."

The kid chuckled.

"Nice moves."

"...Thanks."

Then, as if nothing happened, the kid had a bright smile on his face.

"Name's Braylon."

He nodded.

"So, uh... you ready to hear me out?"

"Yes, but not here. Too many ears and-"

PHEEEEEEE!

"Stand down! Stand down!" One of the guards yelled as he ran into the room along with backup.

The crowd wanted to fight back but the Huntsmen-in-training had the upper hand, so they were soon escorted into their cells.

"You!" One guard said to Braylon. "You are coming with us." The guard pushed him to move faster. "The headmaster won't be happy."

"Screw you and your... ungh."

It was then that Roy noticed something that he would never expect to see in a kid of that age.

The two exchanged a quick glance and Roy could see the look of unimaginable pain in his eyes. A pain that couldn't be comprehended by mere mortals like him.

The pain of being burned alive.

* * *

"Unbelieveable!"

Braylon stared the specialist who was busy pacing around the room. He, on the other hand, was sitting on an iron chair with a pair of handcuffs. Ironwood sat on another chair in front of him and tried to use "bad cop" tactics to get information. So far it was more of a comedy than actual investigation, with Ironwood demanding answers and Braylon replying with sarcastic comments or fits of laughter.

"You just came here and you already started trouble? How does that work?"

Braylon shrugged. "I have a talent. And by the way, that Faunus attacked me first."

"Animals..." Winter murmured.

Ironwood rubbed his temples. This _kid_ was giving him a migraine.

"I believe we should return to our previous subject." Weiss lookalike said.

"Yes. I know." The general sighed. "Mister Braylon-"

"Stop with this bureaucractic formality and just ask already. I swear, you people sometimes act like... forget it."

"So... um..." Winter gave him a Scroll. "Thank you, specialist. As I was saying... please tell us about... those ruins back in Vale."

Braylon scoffed. "And why should I?"

Ironwood frowned. "You really don't have a choice. Until you learn to cooperate, you will stay here."

"...Is that a challenge?"

"No. It's not."

"...Good."

A brief moment of silence later...

"Specialist, please leave us alone."

Winter nodded and went out without complaining, as expected from a obedient, brainwashed a nice lil' soldier!

"Braylon." The general said. "I am going to be honest with you on one thing."

Our Vault Hunting asshole raised an eyebrow. What was he talking about?

"We... we are enjoying our time of peace. Let me finish. But I, and my associates, are at war. A war against an enemy far more powerful than any Grimm out there combined." he sighed again. "These people, not just Atlas, need someone who can protect them. Someone who will act."

"And let me guess, you are the one who will do that?"

"Yes. Do you know what people think when they look at the sky and see my... _our_ fleet above their heads? Protection. Power. Fear. I _act_. Ozpin doesn't."

Ozzy? What the fuck does he have to do with all of this? But more importantly...

"Okay, stop. First question. Why are you telling me this instead on being on the field and "acting" as you like to preach?"

"Because in every war you need strong allies."

" _Oh you are gonna have allies alright..._ "

"I know the what you have done in Vale. Can you even begin to picture the entirety of it? A Huntsman-in-training that takes down so many people skilled far more than him (Braylon scoffed)... and wins. Now try to imagine someone with your skills, trained in my academy-"

"Not gonna happen."

"...I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. No chance in Hell that I'm gonna end up being your little ground pounder like Schnee. If you wish for me to do those jobs which require to get your hands dirty (and we definitely don't want that!) then at least have the balls to say it out loud, right here. No fancy words." He paused. "Of course, do I want to do it? Now that's an entire different story. I like getting paid, but I'm not a money whore."

Man, Ironwood was _pissed_. I suppose our dear general never before had experienced a situation where a teenager told him to fuck off without actually saying it.

"Which automatically brings us to question number two. What makes you think that I am willing to fight this war of yours? What makes you think that I want to "save" those poor fucks out there? If you know what I did back in Vale, then isn't that a hint that I don't want to be involved?"

Still keeping his scowl, the general responded.

"Ozpin thinks that you are "misguided", that you have the skills to back up all your claims but that you just don't know how to use them to do good ( _HAHAHAHA! That's a good one Ozzy! We so need to talk when I get back._ ). According to him, only those close to you can do it. Like your team, for example."

" _Idiot._ "

"I say that's a load of crap. And we both know it. You are not misguided. You just don't care what happens to others around you. If someone wants you to do a job, then they must pay. Because that's what you are. A ruthless mercenary ( _Motherfucker!_ ) who will just do his job and then leave. So, in a way, I am hiring you. Or rather, I am hiring your knowledge on everything you know about those ruins back there. I know that you know something and that you are desperately trying to hide it."

Braylon chuckled.

"You know what I love about people like you? Your ego is so big to the point that you think of yourself as a hero that Remnant needs. Your armies will kick the enemy's ass and you will do your job as the god-damn Messiah, right? Well, here is some bad news for you, _general_. It's the soldiers who win battles. Generals are just there to take credit for them." He smiled. "But that's not the point. The point is, that I am nobody's little slave. I am no hero. I am no soldier. And most importantly, I am no Huntsman. I am a Vault Hunter and I will be until the day I die. As for you, general, you and your buddies can keep playing your little good guys roles. But here is a warning. Do not, under any circumstances, try to stop me from whatever I do. Seriously now. Just don't. I fought enemies way more powerful than anything Remnant has to offer. And I won ( _most of the times_ ). So if you try and... hehe... do something... it will end badly. For you, not for me. I will be there giving you or anyone else a beating of your lifetime... and God forbid you try to make it personal. Because then I will find you wherever you are, even if it means follow you through Hell itself... and you will finally discover what Braylon Monocriffe is capable of."

And with that, he got up and went for the door, leaving the angry general behind.

"Oh, and general? The food here sucks."

He smiled again as he opened the door and went out.

Ironwood stood there, amazed by this kid's guts. But the way he spoke, the way he... he...

This kid needs a lesson.


	41. Step 1: Build Trust

**Jordanlink7856: Define "slow paced". If you mean that the story is developing rather slowly than I apologize, but I'm afraid that there is no other way to do it. But I think, however, that after this short arc I will finally return to main canon. Which are chapter 13-16 of volume 1, another arc and then finally volume 2. Take that with a grain of salt, as my method of writing includes heavily relying on improvisation.**

 **Guest: Patience. He will get more epic equipment. Actually, I think that he will soon get a new weapon...**

* * *

It was one day later that the plan was set in motion.

The first thing on the list was simple. He needed to befriend that Faunus. To do that, he would use every opportunity he could to appraoch him and get his trust. Since Roy is one of the toughest prisoners in here, he could come in handy for later. Despite his policy of "doing things alone", Braylon realized that, if he wanted to win, he needed allies.

It was with that thought in mind that the young Vault Hunter observed the Faunus prisoner who was currently exercising. Both were outisde, in one of the many parks the prison had.

"You still didn't answer my question." Braylon stated as he sat near a tree. "Are you still with White Fang?"

Roy stopped mid-squat and stared the human with a stoic face.

"If you were really "someone who may help" then you would already know that I stopped being a White Fang as soon as I got here." He then returned to his exercise.

This man was sharper than he thought. He had to be careful.

"Why?"

"Not... worth... it." Roy replied between each squat.

"...Why?"

Roy stopped again. "Because our glorious leader decided that I had outlived my usefulness." He stood up. "So he set me up by placing all the blame on me for the death of an Atlesian officer."

Braylon nodded several times before replying.

"I'm not with the White Fang."

"I know. If you were, you wouldn't ask me these questions." He paused. "...So what are you then?"

"Somone who is best to have as an ally than an enemy."

"I see."

Braylon chuckled. "I'm not what you think I am."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yup."

"So... is there a reason why you decided to be here and talk to me?"

"Remember when I said that I would get you out of here?" Braylon asked as he pulled out some grass near his legs. "I didn't lie. I really would get you out. But..." He sighed. "I need you to help me first."

Roy just stared at the kid with his hands on his hips. He snorted and turned his head in the opposite way before returning it back to its previous position.

"Let's hear it."

"I plan to blow up the Atlas Research Institute." He said bluntly, to which Roy responded with a laugh.

"And how exactly do you expect me to help you? We will be dead before we even start."

"You said you were White Fang. Are there any other members in here?"

"Yes..." Roy frowned.

"Do they know that you are not with them anymore?"

"The older memebers probably yes, but those are few. Most of them are newbies who never heard of me."

Braylon brought his fist below his chin and hummed.

"You could try and persuade them to join you in a group assault so that you could get out of this place. Of course, before the chaos happens I would open the main gates and remove any potential resistance along the way. Even better, we wait the right opportunity, I open the gates ninja-style, and you and your group sneak out. We arrive at the Institute, you act as a distraction, I go in, go out and we all get a happy ending."

Roy hummed. "And why exactly you want to do that?"

"I have a score to settle with Ironwood."

Roy whistled. "Boy, you must be neck-deep in shit if Jimmy dropped you here."

"Quite the contrary. He gave me an opportunity to attack where it hurts him the most. His own homeland."

Roy thought for a moment. "Are you sure this will work?"

Braylon scoffed. "If we don't try, we will never know."

"But... do you know what potential damage this could turn out to be?"

Braylon shrugged. "Collateral damage."

"Sound to me like you are the type of people who don't know what that word means."

"Trust me. It will still be the best ending for all of us. Much better than the alternative, anyways."

"It is _that_ important?"

Braylon nodded.

"But why we need the other White Fang members?"

"So that we could place all the blame on them. By the time the Huntsmen from here return them to prison, we will already be out of this cesspool of a kingdom."

Roy sighed. "If we pull this off, we will go down in history..."

"Not sure about that. But it will definitely be a topic that the future generations will have to learn in their history class."

"...Alright. I accept your offer."

"Wow, really? I thought you would be indecisive about this stuff."

"I too have a life outside these walls, you know."

"If you say so." Braylon sighed.

The Faunus snorted again as he stared into the distance. "But first we need to get their respect if we want them as allies."

"How?"

Braylon moved his head towards the direction where Roy continued to stare, now with a frown. There was a Faunus, younger than him, who sat on the ground with her hands covering her face as if she was crying. Every now and then she would yelp in pain, quickly followed by a begging someone to stop whatever they were doing. And would you look at that. Seems like four jerk-offs decided to use the poor girl as a target practice for throwing small pebbles.

"Well, well. Looks like Lady Luck decided that we were worth of her attention."

"So who goes first?" Braylon asked. He could tell that the Faunus fella wanted to break some bones.

"You. Let me see your fighting style."

"Oh, I will make sure that you will not be dissapointed." He replied as he placed the pendant around his neck and slowly walked towards the the girl.

One of the humans, an orange-haired hedgehog, turned his head towards the other three companions.

"Hey, watch this shot. Bet I can knock her the fuck out with this one!" He laughed as he prepared himself to throw it.

The pebble would hit the poor Faunus right in the head if it weren't for Braylon who caught it mid-air.

"Huh?"

Braylon turned to the group and tossed the projectile back to its sender's forehead. Fucker screamed like a girl and his friends just stared like morons.

He turned to the crying Faunus.

"Hey, you alright?"

The girl slowly raised her eyes towards the person who decided to help her. When she found out that said person was a human, she was shocked.

"W-why?" She sobbed. "Why are you helping me?"

He offered a hand.

"Not everyone is a Faunus hater. Now go, because here all Hell will be unleashed."

The Faunus nodded and ran away, not bothering to question the human who just saved her from more humiliation. The act also caught the attention of several other groups of nearby humans.

"Hey!"

Braylon heard shouting behind him. So he turned around and saw the group slowly approaching.

"What the _fuck_ is your problem, kid?" Said the hedgehog. "Look what you've done, asshole! Now she ran away! You stupid or something?" The group was now very close to him.

"Listen, dipshit. Today I'm in a really shitty mood."

"What?"

Braylon cracked his neck.

"I think it's time you learn a thing or two about respecting others."

One of his friends, a guy with a red mohawk, decided that he found his nutsack still occupied by his testicles and decided to approach the situation with simple diplomacy.

"You wack, Faunus-sympathizing fuck! Don't talk shit unless you can back that shit up!"

Braylon slowly turned to the guy and stared him for a few seconds. He would then grab the guy's head with both of his hands, quickly push it down towards his rising right knee, possibly breaking his nose, move the head up again and backhand the fucker right on the ground, unconscious. His pendant started glowing.

The hedgehog frowned.

"You know, that's a good thing you just did right there. Because now we know..." He looked to his left, as did Braylon. Both saw another group of humans approaching them. "...that you are not just stupid..." He said as they both turned right, only to see yet another group which decided to jump into the this lively conversation. Both Braylon and hedgehog turned towards each other.

"...but you are also a complete fucking retard."

Braylon was now surrounded by other pissed-off humans.

"Hmpf. Bring it, momma's boy."

( **AN:** Music choice – Yakuza (ps2) OST, Scarlet Scar.)

"You're so gonna eat those words, little turd." Hedge spat as charged at Braylon with his right fist. He scoffed as he punched the moron in the stomach so hard that the guy was forced to stop his attack. Braylon would then grab him by the uniform, turn around and slam him face-first into the ground.

Another man tried to sneak up on Braylon and smash the glass bottle on his head. Unluckily for him, the kid turned around just in time. He grabbed the attacker's arm, pulled him closer to himself, jumped to the side, break said arm with his knee and deliver a sick jab so powerful that it broke the man's jaw and several teeth, which he spat out along with blood as his head jerked back and he fell down.

Not learning from his comrade's mistake, a third dumbfuck jumped on his back in a desperate attempt to hold him down. Two more quickly ran up to him and started punching Braylon in the chest. It was more of an annoyance than anything else really, because as soon as he grabbed the dumbfuck, Braylon would break free by lifting him in the air and use his body to crush the other two.

"Mother... fu-" Hedgehog moved his head up weakly, his nose broken and his face covered in blood. A foot slammed the head back down.

"No swearing." Braylon warned.

Five down.

A sixth prisoner decided that the best tactics to use against this kid, was to show his skills in martial arts. So while he was busy making a fool of himself, Braylon quickly picked the bottle, smashed it on the fool's head and then proceeded to barrage the shit out of his abdomen. The fool fell asleep with a swift, but strong, haymaker. If he was lucky, he would only have several ribs broken beyond repair.

Number seven was scared shitless but decided to attack anyways. Braylon dodged and returned the favor with a punch in the chest. Seven coughed some blood and coughed some more when Braylon uppercuted him in the stomach. But that was just the start, for he would smash both sides of Seven's skull by using his fists like two hammers. With teep, Seven was out of the game.

Out of all previous people, Eight was the most successful in sneaking up on Braylon... but then he completely ruined it when he yelled like an idiot as he cocked back a fist. Braylon didn't even bothermturning around. He just shoulder threw the poor man into a group of prisoners. Funnily enough, it looked kinda like bowling. Only with humans as targets

"Are we done? Or anyone else wanna find out how lucky they are?" Braylon shouted. But Nine was having none of that bullshit. So he ran up to the Vault Hunter and threw a left hook. The look on his face when he found out that Braylon was just standing there, unmoving and with a deadpan, was priceless.

He sighed. "It's not even funny anymore."

Braylon simply grabbed the guys face with his right hand and forcefully moved his head to the right shoulder (you guessed it, Braylon broke his neck). As the attacker, speechless from pain, fell on his knees, the kid decided to end his suffering by ax stomping his head. Another one bites the dust.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

"Anyone else?"

The remaining prisoners (minus one who fell unconscious) started running away at the speeds I thought were impossible for humans to reach. Must be the fear that keeps them going.

He heard a slow clap behind him. He turned around and saw Roy casually walking towards him.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." He complimented. "But not good either."

And there he goes. What's the point of complimenting someone when you cover that compliment with a steaming pile of shit seconds later?

The Faunus placed his arms behind his back.

"You left your guard down one two many times. Just because you are more powerful than them, you don't have the right to act cocky and do the mistake of underestimating your opponents."

"Gee, thanks _dad_." Braylon snarked. "What matters now is earning trust from other Faunus around here. And judging by how they look at us, I guess I did a damn good job."

"All of this will be useless if you loose a fight."

"Can we stop with-"

And that's where Braylon stopped talking. His pendant wasn't glowing anymore and Roy noticed that.

He suddenly fell on his knees, too weak to respond. He became extremely pale as if he saw a ghost. Breathing became harder and harder. He was barely able to hold his shit together, otherwise he would start screaming like crazy.

Luckily there was Roy who saw that something wrong was happening with the human. So when he saw that the Vault Hunter lost his consciousness and was about to fall down, he quickly reacted and picked him up.

It became clear now. Whatever power that pendant gave, the price to pay after a fight would be too high. There was no other explanation for his strenght, because why then he would wear it before the fight? And that's taking into the account the fact that he couldn't detect any trace of unlocked Aura in this kid. Another detail that was bothering him. And another thing that needed to be explained.

But first, his partner needed to see a doctor.

* * *

 **30 000 views folks! And the number keeps rising! Thank you so much! I never thought I would see that happen. But once again you proved me wrong. I hope I will keep this story interesting until the very end. God knows what surprises I have for future chapters. Yes, I have few arcs that I will definitely put in here. And let** **'s not forget more EXPLOSIONS!  
**  
 **Once again, thanks to all for taking your time reading this fic. Keep following Braylon in his crazy Vault Hunter adventures in the next chapter! Bye!**


	42. Step 2: Finishing Touch

**I apologize for the long waiting, but I had to actually** _ **plan**_ **this chapter and the next one (can you believe it?), as well as having a lot of stuff to do. Why did I have to plan it? Because it is going to be... complicated.**

 **Guest #1: Didn't I already say what his skill was?**

 **Guest #2: More of a partner in crime than** **a party member. Doesn't mean he will never appear again.**

 **ThatGreenDooredBookshop: Since I decided to follow the canon Borderlands (and it says that New-U stations are not canon), I am going to assume that he will not appear in the fic. If the New-U tech was canon, then there would be a huge plothole** **in the story. Like, why all that drama about Roland's death when they can just digistruct a new clone? Same goes for Jack.**

* * *

Most of the day became a blur, but the Vault Hunter was able to discover some basics of what happened after the fight. He spent quite a lot in the prison's hospital, I can tell you that.

But as soon as he woke up, Roy started pestering him about "going to the gym where they could talk". What the hell?

So here he was, waiting at least half an hour, for Roy to arrive. Might as well take a nap.

The room became darker.

"Great." He muttered, knowing already what was going to happen next.

" _It's been a while._ "

"What do you want this time?" He was annoyed by this smug prick(s).

" _Are you really sure you're doing the right thing?_ " Said the female voice.

"Uh-huh."

Braylon decided to take out the pendant. It was a tear-shaped, dark red crystal embedded into a casing made of pitch black... rock? It kinda looks weird... Just holding it in the hand gave him a really odd feeling. Really creepy shit.

" _Beautiful, isn't it?_ "

The sudden question woke Braylon from his analysis.

"Wha-"

" _It should be, for what is worth._ "

"What is this thing?"

" _Something that is not meant to fall into the hands of a mortal, regardless of race._ "

"Anything more specific?"

" _You will discover its true purpose soon. Knowing before it happens won't really help much_. _"_

He sighed. "Of course."

The conversation kinda ended there. Both parties were quiet for some time, before they started talking again.

" _You do know that some things you are unable to change, right?_ "

"What are you talking about?"

" _That 'solution' of yours will ultimately accomplish nothing. At best, it will create even more problems._ "

"What choice is there? I can't just blindly trust them..."

" _Can't or won't? Not that it matters._ _You will do it anyways... you don't have a choice._ "

Braylon narrowed his eyes. "Wait, what?"

" _You had a choice. And you chose this path, knowing that there is no going back. Now take resposibility for your actions._ "

Braylon's head started to hurt. Just look at him, he thought, so much time spent on doing crazy shit now has just come back to bite him in the ass. His brain even started manufacturing moments of insanity in the form of a entity he can't see but can hear too well in his head.

He really should seek help.

And yet, the young Vault Hunter was still craving for answers. Answers that this hallucination _somehow_ knows. Wait, what if it is God? What if this entity speaking to him is just the good old man himself, trying to help him and guide him to a better tomorrow?... Nah, I'm sure he is busy enough taking care of the Multiverse/Universe/Whatever. Not only that, I bet when this asshole of a kid would ask him for help, he would just give him a cosmic middle finger. He broke some of those rules so many times that Satan reserved him a special job in Hell... that of his personal coal shoveler so that those flames keep burning for another couple thousand years.

"I... I don't understand."

" _You don't have to. No mortal does._ "

" _But before we go..._ " Added the female voice. " _Let me help you by giving you some questions._ "

" _Are we really having this conversation, and if so, why? Did you come here by accident? What if I'm lying? And lastly, are you a knight or a pawn?_ _That is all._ "

 _"Farewell._ "

"Wait. Wait! Damn it!"

Well, I guess he won't get any answers soon...

Braylon supressed the urge to shout as loud as he could and start raging. How frustrating this whole thing was. And why him?! Why not someone else?! No, it HAD to be him! And-

"Are you alright?"

Braylon's heart skipped a beat when he heard Roy's voice. He quickly turned around and smiled.

"Yes! Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?!"

Roy saw right through his bullshit attempt to hide something but decided to ignore it. They needed to concentrate on more important problems. Which is why he wanted Braylon here.

"So, any reason why are we here instead of making plans?" Braylon asked once he calmed down.

"I saw how you fight."

"Yeah, so?"

"And I can tell that not only you have no proper fighting style... but your Aura is also nonexistent. Which is even stranger. So I have to ask, how were you capable of fighting like that without Aura?"

Braylon scoffed. "You really don't expect a magician to tell his secrets, right?"

"No, I don't. But the more skilled you are, the more chance you have to survive out there."

"Well, if I weren't skilled enough, I wouldn't be talking to you right now, don't you agree?"

Roy nodded. "Point taken. But at least help me with your Aura."

Braylon squinted. "Why?"

"I used to be a teacher, you know? I was a teacher because I always enjoyed helping children, knowing that one day they would use those skills to help themselves and their loved ones."

" _Or you know, kill each other._ "

"I won't lie, I joined the White Fang for the same reasons as many others did. To make our lives easier to live. We wanted rights. Just rights."

"And when did you become dangerous cultists and terrorists?" He mocked.

"I wish I knew." He sighed. "We started small... few robberies here, some broken glass there... and then it just got... worse."

"Yeah, great. Awesome. Let's return to our previous topic."

Roy snorted. "Right. So as I was saying, you have no unlcoked Aura. Allow me to help you."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I refuse."

Roy frowned. "Why?"

"I saw how Aura works... and it's retarded. It has so much flaws that only make it worse."

"If you learn how to control it, then you will not have any problems. It will also save your life when you at least expect it."

The Vault Hunter scoffed as he inspected his pendant once again.

"Instead of wasting our time here, why don't we just start working on the plan?"

"The plan won't be successful if you die."

"Buddy, if I was able to live without it for seventeen fucking years, then I'm sure as Hell I will be fine without it for the rest of my life. So let me ask you again, why don't we start working on that plan?"

Seeing that he wouldn't get anywhere, Roy simply sighed in resignation and agreed.

"Fine. I hope everything will be alright."

* * *

Aryl was a young Faunus who joined the White Fang not long ago. This boy, like many others, was tired of being treated like crap by those humans. With the help of their leader, Adam Taurus, they will finally get what they deserve! Justile will be served!

But for justice to be served, they had to make sacrifices. See, the biggest threat to Aryl is boredom. He HATES being bored. He wanted action, he wanted an adventure, he wanted...

"...get out of this place as soon as possible."

Aryl returned to the land of the living once again. He blinked several times and slightly shook his head.

"I hate this fucking place, man."

"You think you are the only one?" Replied his comrade.

Currently, his group was at the docks once again, trying to ship more Dust to Oum knows where. Which was kinda strange. But Aryl did not mind.

Boy, was he proud of his dog ears.

See, the Faunus are very special. Unlike those lowly humans, they are gifted with things like enhanced hearing or even being able to see in the dark! Much more cool than being a limited human. Oh yeah, Faunus are awesome!

But today... today, it will be a curse Aryl wished he never had.

It happened in the middle of the night. The time where some parts of Vale are so dark that you cannot even see a finger in front of your nose (especially in places like the docks which are poorly lit). For the Faunus, this was no problem. So they were able to work in peace. Most members were too busy transporting crates or... whatever. Aryl and his friend took the role of guards.

So Aryl and his friend engaged in a small talk when suddenly his friend started acting weird.

"You alright?" He said to his friend who looked like he was... searching for something.

"Do you hear that?" He asked.

"What?"

" _That._ It sounds like..."

And then Aryl heard it too. It was closer and closer with each step. Something... mechanical.

WEE-BOOM! WEE-BOOM!

It was fast walking towards them. And it came from one of the warehouses. Whatever made those sounds was... huge.

"Aryl, go alert the lieutenant. I'll go check." He said as he readied his rifle and went slowly into the building, closing the huge door behind him.

Aryl turned and ran to find the lieutenant. The general rule was that, should anything start causing problem, this bastard would deal with it because he (or she) was far more skilled than fresh recruits like Aryl. Luckily for him, he wasn't the only one who heard that noise, as several other members ran in the opposite direction to investigate further.

He heard gunshots. A sign that his friend found something hostile in there. Gunshots always meant trouble. _Big_ trouble.

Those who came readied their weapons and aimed at the warehouse. Aryl ignored them and ran further.

He stopped when he heard an explosion.

The explosion was so powerful that it probably woke up half of the damn area. And while humans had hard time, it was the Faunus who suffered the worse fate as the sound was amplified by those who posess the enhanced hearing. One of them was Aryl.

He tried to hold on. He really did. But the sound was too damn much. His ears started bleeding. The pain was too much for a mere mortal to bear.

Aryl turned around anf saw the building set ablaze. What could have caused such an explosion?

More members readied their weapons. Even the lieutenant came.

"What is going on here?!" He roared. This guy was one of those types who you really don't want to see angry. "Take aim, you fools!" Everyone did as ordered.

The whole place became eerily quiet. Aside from the burning building, no one dared to move their eyes away from that cursed door which was still standing. Some were scared beyond cowardice.

They had every right to be.

After a long pause, something... _knocked_ on that metal door. With each knock the metal _bended_.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

CRASH!

Aryl, like most people, gasped when they saw a grey, metallic fist sticking out of the door.

"What the-"

Said fist slowly grabbed what's left of that pathetic barrier and easily ripped it off.

WEE-BOOM!

WEE-BOOM!

And there it was.

No one knew what exactly they were looking at. It was a robot, sure, but it looked like a _human_. To be precise, it was at least two meter tall and dark grey. But the whole appearance resembled that of a human anatomy model. But instead of showing organs, it only showed muscles. It was like looking at a skinless human. Even creepier was its face. _There was no face_. No mouth, no nose, nothing. Only eyes, or better, _eye_ , which was V shaped and was glowing bright red.

It stood there like a statue, cold and unmoving as if waiting for its own turn.

"Don't just stand there! Fire already! FIRE!"

Everyone started shooting as much as their guns allowed. No gun or bullet was spared.

And it was all useless.

Each bullet either bounced off or simply hit and fell on the floor. This comedy kept going until everyone realized the futility of their action and slowly lowered the barrels down to the ground.

It made no sound, just raised its right hand and stretched the metallic palm towards the group. Those who paid attention to details realized that a small circular opening appeared on said palm.

Understanding that the robot was about to attack, Aryl jumped to the side (as did the lieutenant). Everyone else was engulfed in flames that came out from the robotic arm. Even if they were lucky enough to survive, the two could feel such unnatural heat that not even a Dust crystal could produce. Why, even the solid ground became soft as clay. Everyone else was _disintegrated_. There were no skeletons that would prove they ever existed.

The robot lowered its hand and returned to its previous state. Only to move its head towards the new agressor: the angry lieutenant.

"You fucking pile of shit! I'll-"

Aryl now had visual proof of just how powerful this automaton was. In one swift movement, it grabbed the Faunus by the skull. The hand was large enough to cover his face.

"You are bothering me." It spoke before crushing said skull.

Aryl was speechless. Not only this _thing_ was powrful enough to crash skulls, its movements and speech were as fluid as that of a human or Faunus! A feature that not even the modern Atlesian Knights possess!

Ignoring the pathetic whimpering organism, it scanned the area for other potential threats and stopped when it found one.

Aryl was in the know. He used to listen the conversations between several important Faunus and the human ally. He knew that the White Fang managed to get its hands on one of those Paladins that Atlas keeps bragging about. Not one, but _two_. One was given to his group so that it could be tested on the field. It wasn't really impressive (actually, it was more like a half-assed modern art sculpture made of random parts you could find in a scrapyard) but it would be the base for developing (thanks to several scientists who joined the cause) the other one. The one which would be used by that _human_. Still, it was far more powerful than anything in their arsenal. The damn rustbucket could pick up a truck!

Someone was smart enough to think that it would be a perfect simulation for an actual battle. The Paladin prototype came out of a warehouse and stopped several meters away from the unknown attacker.

"Sorry tin can." The pilot said smugly. "But you are about to get a taste of White Fang power!"

The robot was silent.

"What's that? Cat got your tounge? HAHAHA!"

While the unsuspecting pilot was laughing, the robot raised its arm once more. But this time it took a whole new approach. The arm, suddenly becoming liquid, morphed to resemble a strange barrel, like that of a gun. When the limb became solid and when the details became apparent Aryl realized that he was looking at a sci-fi _cannon_.

FWOOM!

Now Aryl was no scientist, but he could swear that the cannon just shot out an energy-based projectile, so fast and powerful, that it caused a sonic boom and tossed the Paladin into a wall like a ragdoll. It was official, that construct was not from Remnant.

The theory got another proof when dozens of holes appeared on its back which spat out same number of missiles that immediately went for their target.

BOOM!

How the mighty have fallen.

The robot turned its head towards several wooden crates near a truck. It came closer and opened one. What puzzled Aryl was the fact that the robot picked several Dust crystals and just stared at them. The red V which replaced its face suddenly became white and remained in such state for several seconds only to return back to red.

Then it turned towards him.

The Faunus boy paled. He tried to ran, but the robot zapped him with an electric bolt from one of its fingertips, making him drop down instead. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, waiting for his death. Aryl gasped when he felt cold metal grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up. He was now face to face with this monstrosity.

It showed a Dust crystal in its other hand.

"Tell me everything you know about this substance." It ordered. " **Everything.** _"_

* * *

 **The next chapter might take a bit longer because it will probably be bigger (talking about some possible 4000+ words). It will contain the whole plan which our loved anti-hero created with his ally. So be sure to follow this story, because it is about to get wild!**


	43. Operation Titanomachy

**FINALLY. IT. IS. HERE. 5693 WORDS! ENJOY FOLKS!**

* * *

That night would be one of those nights that will go down in history. Braylon would never see the general's face, but he was sure that the old fuck will think back at the time when he tried to screw a Vault Hunter.

The doors of his cell opened and the guard came inside. Every two nights a new guard comes to change with the previous one. That way, the facility would always be on alert if the kid tried something funny. A quick check at the database revealed that the new guard was of almost the same height and age as the Vault Hunter. Something that was really needed.

"Come with me." He ordered.

"Wait." Braylon pleaded. "I need to do something."

"Fine. But don't-"

SMACK!

And the guard was down... what a dumbass.

Braylon clapped with his hands as a grin appeared on his face.

" _Time to start phase one of my plan."_

Braylon crouched and quickly began removing the clothes...

Braylon went out of his cell and closed the door behind him. The guard would not be a problem anymore.

( **AN:** Play "Contessa's Castle", OST from the game Sly 2.)

After adjusting his clothes once more, so that nobody would get suspicious, he started walking down the hallway. He turned to the left and reached some white double doors which had a small green sign with a white man running towards the door.

He was now in a much larger hallway. Instead of walls, there were cells on two stories filled with convicts, both humans and Faunus. The guards were too busy with said convicts to pay any attention to him. So he walked with a stoic face while niside he was screaming from joy. Nothing bad happened yet. Awesome.

Igonring the pathetic taunting attempts from the criminals, the young Vault Hunter approached another door, much larger and with a big H above it. H as in "Cell block H".

He reached the main hallway without problems. This hallway was not really a hallway but more of a large circular room with four doors on each side of the world (west, east, north and south respectively). The floor, as the walls, were green in color. In the centre of the room stood a large metallic, disc-shaped object with a small console. An elevator.

Braylon looked left, then right. He noticed that each door was signed with a letter from H to K, meaning that he needed to go up with the elevator. So he walked until he stood in front of the console which displayed two triangles (one pointing up and one down). He touched the upper triangle and waited for it to do its magic.

" _Okay... I am on the third floor... meaning that I have to go on the first floor..._ "

After few minutes of waiting, Braylon reached the first floor. He approached the only door which wasn't signed with any letter.

A brief glance told him that he was in the cafeteria for those who work in this place. Some tables were occupied.

" _Motherfuckers._ "

He had to relax. There were too many people in here and one fuck up could ruin everything. He sighed and started walking casually. Thank God that the eggheads in Atlas are complete morons, because every guard, man or woman, had to wear the same uniform. In other words, sneaking out of this place was easy because no other guards could know if you are really a guard or just some fresh novice. Hehehe...

After passing several tables (and briefly chatting with his "coworkers"), he went out of the cafeteria and went towards the room where these dickheads put personal belongings of the prisoners before their ass is tossed in a cell. He knew he wouldn't find his shit there, because Ironwood took them for study. But he had no use of its equipment (for now), oh no. Instead, he needed to find some typical White Fang mask and uniform that would suit him. The reason for this will be revealed later.

He opened each and every crate as quickly as he could. Roy told him that one of the White Fang members had a pickaxe (what the fuck?) with him before he was captured. He could use it to make a small hole and go outside.

Searching... searching...

 _"Here you are!_ " Braylon smiled when he found what he wanted.

The first thing he did was store the clothes in his PDA, then he searched for a suitable position where he could make that damn hole. He choose the very left corner of the room. Before he started working like a Chilean miner, he covered the point with some larger crates so that it would take some time to discover his work of art.

" _Time to work, Bray._ " He mentally encouraged himself as he took the pickaxe.

TICK! TICK! TICK!

He needed to go faster, time was running out.

TICK! TICK! TICK!

Guys, you have no idea how much stress he had to hold on his shoulders. Not like trying to perform a buzzcut on sleeping Yang or telling everyone in the academy that Blake reads smut novels. This is pure adrenaline.

TICK! TICK! TICK!

Almost there. Only few more hits and the wall will crush down. If he is cought with his dirty hands in the cookie jar, his ass goes back to that cell... and there was _no way in Hell_ that he was gonna let that happen.

TICK! TICK! TICK! CRASH!

Finally!

He tossed the tool away and wormed out to the outside world. It was raining cats and dogs.

Before he continued, he needed to check the area for potential threats. After finding out that the only threat was busy patrolling the walls, he materialized his Holo Claw. The darkness combined with the rain made a perfect diversion for the next step: climbing the walls.

You see, the only way he could reach the control room without having lots of problems was to climb to the top. Why yes, the control room was on the very top of the building. If he could go there, he would be able to open _all_ cells in this shityard.

Time to start climbing this bitch.

* * *

( **AN:** keep playing the music.)

It took him half an hour to reach the rooftop. Luckily, there were no guards nearby so he was free to reach a green door that was there. A set of stairs later, Braylon stood in front of another door. He sighed, knowing that he reached his objective. He placed an ear at the surface of the door. Someone was inside.

He quietly opened the door only to see a fat man staring at some monitors and typing something. He crouched and slowly approached the unsuspecting victim, snapping the neck when he came close.

Everything went smoothly for now. But let's not forget that this was just phase one of the plan.

He frowned when his eyes saw three keyboards. How the fuck was he supposed to know which one was the "right one"? Guess it was something they overlooked...

Another thing I forgot to mention. This room could be accessed in two ways. Either thorugh the roof, like Braylon did, or from lover levels by following multiple stairs and hallways. Well, there was only the second option. No one ever chose the first one for obvious reasons.

So you can kinda guess Braylon's surprise when he heard a guard opening another door and yelling.

"Who the fuck are yo- you are a prisoner! Freeze!"

"Hell no!"

The guard pulled out a lever-action blunderbuss gun hybrid and took aim.

"Make no sudden movements!"

Braylon decided that this guy could go fuck himself and jumped away. The guard, scared shitless, pulled the trigger and completely wrecked the computers. Those monitors that survived started flashing a warning sign which was immediately followed by camera footage showing _all_ prison cells opening at the same time!

" _Fuck... me._ " Braylon thought in shock. This was not supposed to happen. Nope. No fucking way. The plan was to open only those cells which contained the White Fang members! Now look at this shit! As soon as the cells opened, the prisoners started causing chaos and assaulting the guards.

Oh, boy.

The guard was in a worse state. He went completely pale and his jaw dropped to the floor. He was probably thinking that he would be lucky if he got out of this mess with just being fired.

"Fucking calfhead!" Braylon shouted in rage as he shot a Holo Sawblade right into the guard which died easily.

Okay... alright... he needed to improvise... he needed to find a way to get in touch with Roy... hopefully Roy will be able to steal a vehicle and reach the gate. The bastard will have it easy. Braylon, on the other hand, will need to make a way out with the use of violence. Since the whole situation became one giant deathmatch, everyone versus everyone, he already knew this task was going to be a huge mess.

Fuck it. YOLO.

But first, he materialized the White Fang mask and uniform, put them on, picked up the shotgun hybrid and went for the elevators.

The alarms went off.

DING!

" _Looks like people are really busy down here..._ " Braylon thought as he stood in the waiting room. Several corpses, both guards and criminals, were on the ground. The whole place was fucked up. Chairs and small tables either broken or scattered, newspapers everywhere, empty bullet casings...

Braylon prepared himself.

* * *

( **AN:** Switch to "Sleepless Nights" by FM Attack. I suggest you really turn up the volume. Louder means better.)

He went left and shot a skinny criminal who had a knife right into that heart of his, leaving a huge hole where the blood pumper should be.

Another brilliant scientist jumped out from behind a table with the desire to crack Braylon's skull with a lead pipe. Really not something worth to loose over the head.

Braylon had no idea how many shots were in that gun. He prayed to God that he had enough to kill a small army. Not that it would come true.

The stairs were blocked by yet another table, this time a bigger one. There was one female guard with a pistol. She pulled the trigger two times but Braylon jumped to the floor and aimed.

"A table made of rotten wood won't help you against my bullets!" He yelled.

BOOM!

The shot easily ripped the shitty table to shreds and reached the guard. Because of the nature of his gun and the distance between the two, the pellets turned that woman into a colander that was tossed all the way down, leaving a very long trail of blood, as if drawing with a red pastel.

Deciding to go downstairs, the young Vault Hunter came to yet another hallway. But unlike the others, this one had its floor _covered_ in corpses and blood. By going further he found the most likely cause: a shirtless man, the size of a wardrobe, holding a human head (which came with the spinal cord!) and gritting those teeth as if trying to become Hulk. Well, he was halfway to that point with all those muscles that look like a byproduct of years-long steroid diet.

He noticed Braylon and walked slowly towards him. The walk became more and more of a full charge. The kid felt brave because he was the one with a gun. But his jaw dropped when he pressed the trigger.

He was out of ammo.

When the man came closer, he threw such a powerful punch that tossed Braylon into a wall. Still holding the skull, Wardrobe cocked back a fist as his eyes full of hatred stared the next victim. However the victim was faster and dodged the fatal blow which ended up hitting the wall behind him. The attack was powerful enough to create a fist-sized hole. His hand was stuck!

Braylon jumped towards "his" weapon. There was no ammo left for that thing but he tried something.

Sure, Ironwood took his weapons... but never his ammo or standard Protean grenades. He materialized two shotgun shells and reloaded as quickly as he could. Surprisingly, the shells fitted perfectly.

The man finally released his fist and quickly turned around.

"Surprise, motherfucker!

BOOM!

The shot, which hit his rock-hard (but not enough to stop the bullets) midsection, forced him to take few steps back as the face twisted to express something between rage and suppressed pain.

Braylon was now concerned. The end of the barrel was so hot that it started glowing. Not good. He knew what could possible happen but he decided to risk it anyways. If he needed to die, he would send this bastard to Hell with him. He tried again but aimed at the head instead.

BOOM!

THUD!

With a sigh of relief, Braylon got up and continued down the hall. Before he opened a double door, he checked the nearby corpse of a guard for a new weapon and ammunition. That shotgun hybrid became useless. How tragic. It was so cool.

Hey look! Braylon found a Uzi-like SMG. Nice.

He also found one unused magaize. So after he reloaded, he opened the door.

The laundry room was large but not devoid of threats. In fact, there were five criminals beating someone on the floor on the other side of the room. They were so busy that they never noticed Braylon coming few meters closer. When they _did_ spot him, it was already late as he emptied half of the magazine which not only hurt the body, but also the spirit. Why yes, Braylon was positive that all those bullets must have created lots of holes in those Hell-condemned souls.

The door in front of him opened and revealed yet another pair of criminals. They all received a very effective (and free!) enema treatment... with bullets!

" _Out of ammo. Amen._ "

It was a really disturbing sight. But they asked for it. All criminals need to know that they all end badly one way or another.

As Braylon continued his journey he realized just how much bad for his health this place had become. I have a feeling this will not end well. Yes, it will not end well for them!

Braylon tossed one unmodified Protean grenade at few guards behind a broken vending machine.

BOOM!

"Did you like that little surprise?!" He yelled to his enemies as he showed them a middle finger. He then stole a pistol from a corpse and shot two idiots who ran towards him like a Psycho.

He lowered his weapon and approached a door but stopped when he heard a certain sound behind him.

CLICK-CLACK!

" _Shit!_ " He mentally cursed as he jumped to the ground.

BOOM!

There was a surviving guard who just blew that fucking door away with her shotgun.

"Hey but you... from where the fuck did you come from?!" He asked rhetorically as he shot the woman in her throat. She gasped for air but got blood instead. No one knew if she died from the shot or just drowned by her own blood (which would count as ironic death).

"Morons! You should arrest those criminals!" He shouted to no one in particular. Braylon felt as if he were in Call of Duty.

He arrived at the cafeteria for workers and _holy shit_. It was every coffin seller's wet dream. A god damn battlefield. Blood and gore everywhere. Those alive tried to kill the opposite group. Thankfully there was so much noise that he managed to wriggle his way out like a worm. Hey, he may be a dick, but at least he is an _alive_ dick.

The nightmare was finally over when he reached the emergency stairs. He had to kill two more dudes for that to happen.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

* * *

Of all the things Roy hated, nothing could be compared to be forced to do something horrible in order to survive. An assault is one such example.

As soon as he was free, he tried to find all those White Fang members (and their respective equipment) who were willing to join him. He was able to find eighteen such individuals, almost all of them newbies, and because of that, he lost four people already.

Whatever that tiny human did, it definitely went wrong. But not all evil is completely evil, for when the chaos started, the Atlas military sent few jeeps and a Bullhead filled with robotic soldiers (and some Huntsmen) to help put things back in control.

And that was just what they needed.

Roy, with few members skilled in stealth operations, easily took out most robots and few Huntsmen who weren't careful enough in their surrounding environment. The surviving ones went inside the building.

As soon as the area was clear, Roy Mul gave the order to wait for one of their best operatives. He lied when he said that this operative was human because the leader thought it would be a good idea to have another human in the White Fang.

The waiting was a real pain. Every now and then someone would pop up and try to either attack them or steal one vehicle. Some were human, some where Faunus, but threats nontheless.

Roy had also time to think about the plan. Clearly it didn't go as expected but it was close enough. Now that they have two jeeps and a Bullhead in their possession, the next step should be easier to execute.

But there will be no next step if that kid is dead.

The Faunus was concerned about him. Sometimes, when they were near each other, he would feel a wave of uneasiness that was impossible to pinpoint. The way he fought suggested that, from whatever place he was, he needed to be as stronger and violent as possible. He couldn't even call it a fighting style. More of a crazed wild animal killing and destroying everything around it until someone kills it for good. One thing was sure though. He _wasn't_ willing to know what that human did to those who stood in his way inside that building.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Roy finally saw Braylon running towards his group as fast as he could, as if he was in a rush to get out of this place.

Well, duh.

"About time he showed up." One of the members complained.

"Yeah, fuck you too." Was Braylon's response. He then turned to Roy and whistled. "Wow. You really know how to do shit. So what's your suggestion? We take a a jeep or that Bullhead?"

"The Bullhead. It will be easier to go inside from the roof, wouldn't it?"

Braylon brightened. "Yea... you are right. Why didn't I think of that?"

" _Perhaps because your plan was to just go in through the front door?_ "

The two got inside the flying vehicle. But not before he gave one last order to the group.

"Brothers and sisters, listen to me! Tonight is the night we will finally get revenge on James Ironwood (cheering)! Our most trusted member here is going to be the tool for our revenge. Why, for he will go inside the Atlas Research Institute and destroy it all by himself (cheering)! So join us tonight, brothers and sisters! Because TONIGHT. ATLAS. WILL. FALL!"

The group started cheering as loud as it could. Braylon crossed his arms and came closer to Roy.

"You sure do know how to give speeches. I would like to see you do it with some veterans."

Roy had to ignore the mocking comment.

"Here is the plan. Me and him are going witht he Bullhead towardsa the Institute. You divide in two groups and each take one jeep. Our task will be to provide a fake attack so that we could gather as much attention as possible. Be sure to let the Atlesian population aware of your presence."

And with that, the part two of the play started.

* * *

Braylon tapped on his PDA and called Ozpin.

"Hello Mister Braylon. How may I help-"

"Headmaster! The White Fang attacked the prison! There whole place is in chaos! I am trying to find my way out! I need to get out of here!"

"Resist as much as you can. I am sending a team to-"

"Ain't nobody got time for that! Listen, I'll call you as soon as I'm out. Please don't do anything stupid."

"...Alright. Please call as soon as you can."

"Will do. And Ozzy..."

"Yes?"

Braylon smirked. "Thank you." He neded the call then turned to Roy.

"So what do you think?"

"You never told me you were a Huntsman." He said as he kept the Bullhead moving.

"That's because I'm not. I go there to "learn", but that's it. I don't help people. I kill them."

"I see."

"Anyways, do you think they will reach the Institute without problems?"

"Maybe the local police will arrive, but that's pretty much it. Most of the soldiers/Huntsmen are too busy with protecting other kingdoms instead of their own."

"That's Jimmy for ya." Braylon chuckled. "Too busy with other gardens to see his own."

"How do you plan destroying the Institute?"

"I'll find a way."

Both became silent for the rest of the trip. With Roy being busy playing lil' pilots and Braylon constantly tapping on the screen of his device there were almost no opportunities to talk. Not that they had to. They were temporary colleagues. Not lifetime friends.

"We arrived." Roy alerted Braylon. "Just for precaution, I suggest you hide that device under your uniform."

"Right. Good idea."

The Bullhead flew slower and slower until the doors opened. Braylon saw that they were flying above the roof of the building, which had several large glass panels for the sunlight to shine down in whatever the fuck that place was hiding from the rest of the world. He could use the one nearby for a makeshift entrance.

He jumped.

* * *

( **AN:** And now play "Joraal Nebula – Leviathan" OST from Ratchet & Clank.)

It took only few seconds to smash through the glass and fall down with a echoing thud. Echoing because the room in question was quite large.

A library.

He quickly stood up, looked around and hid behind a bookshelf. He heard no sound that would indicate someone is near his position. It was perfect time for running away from the scene before someone too curious shows up.

He ran for a few minutes and hid again when he heard footsteps and whistling. He waited for the footsteps to go away far enough and then went back into action.

He needed to find a vent. It would be so much easier to use travel through the ventilation system of the building. Details for later.

He stopped once again when he heard two people talking. They were blocking his path and there was no guarantee that he would be able to go past them completely unnoticed. So he kicked a bookshelf with his leg. It crashed along with several others like dominoes, giving him a perfect opportunity to skedaddle the fuck out of there.

After searching, and more searching, he finally found a vent. Ripping it off was easy as was him fitting inside the absurdly spacious tubes. It's like they want someone to break in.

So he was walking, jumping and climbing for some twenty minutes until one of the vents below his feet fell off. His ass fell right on the cold and hard floor. He cursed mentally and got up but he was fine. He smiled when he saw that he was in some kind of laboratory.

Then the alarm went off.

"ATTENTION PLEASE. ALL PERSONELL PLEASE LEAVE THE BUILDING IMMEDIATELY. REPEAT. ALL PERSONELL PLEASE LEAVE THE BUILDING IMMEDIATELY. THE INSTITUTE IS UNDER ATTACK BY TERRORIST GROUP KNOWN AS THE WHITE FANG. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION."

He hid behind a table as quickly as possible and waited. Not even five minutes passed when he heard at least forty people running and panicking. He stood under that table until he couldn't hear anyone.

Alright. First objective: Find the motherfucking weapons that asshole confiscated.

If the bastard didn't shove that equipment up his ass then he definitely hid it somewhere in this place. Jimmy was obsessed with his guns so they _must_ be in here somewhere. But where?

But while he was here, he guessed he could explore this place a bit. Maybe he will find something useful after all.

One good thing about this place was the fact that it had enough materials for him to create explosives powerful enough to do some serious damage. This instrument of death had the same recipe as the rockets for his Nukem but with a little twist. This C4-like explosive also had a Dust cocktail which was extremely powerful (and unstable). And of course, it was created as an explosive that could go off with his PDA. It took him half an hour to make twelve units, two of which were placed in this laboratory.

Before finally deciding to go away, Braylon gave one last look to the lab.

At one section of of the lab he found something very interesting. There was a metallic table with a wooden crate on the floor near it. Looks like the crate was on the table but fell down during the emergency evacuation. A broken purple bottle stuck out of the crate, spilling a liquid of the same color. But something was wrong with the liquid because some strange crystals grew out of the puddle. Electric crystals. Never before had he seen something like it. What was that? Is _that_ what is Dust capable of? What was the purpose? A look at the nearby chalkboard suggests that not even the eggheads of this kingdom had any idea what that thing was but tried to replicate it anyway. Morons.

He scanned the purple puddle and any documents he could find related to this weird thingy... until his eyes fell on _another_ bottle.

This one was intact. It stood on the table and unlike the previous one, this one had a different design. He grabed the bottle with his left hand and examined it. He discovered three interesting facts about this specimen. Number one, it was warm on touch. Number two, the liquid inside was glowing in unnatural orange color. Number three, the bottle, for some reason, had a small statue of a female demon blowing a kiss... and the head was actually a bottle cap.

He raised an eyebrow but decided to ask questions later. So he stored the bottle in his PDA and moved on.

The next thing he found was also something equally, if not more, shocking. A thick glass panel divided him from a, I kid you not, _dimensional rift_. Well, it kinda fits the description of one. You know, a hole in reality with thingies going in and out? Yeah, that one. It seems that the rift was so pwerful, despite being as tall as him, that the metallic walls that contained the phenomenon were heavily dented. Also, did I mention that the rift was not the only resident? There were also few _huge_ cockroaches of the fucked up kind, completely unaware of the human behind that glass wall. Unfortunately, he couldn't scan both... but he could remember the details. And his enhanced memory is still awesome.

His weapons were nowhere to be found. Which means there is only one place he could find them.

The armory.

He shook his head. It was time to go.

Half an hour of searching and placing explosives later, he finally found the armory. It was probably the smallest room in the whole fucking place. Huh... so anticlimactic.

In the weapon chests was just shit equipment and the thing smells. Looks like it has been placed here to simulate a real armory.

He frantically checked every nook and cranny for any possible clichè things like secret buttons, trapdoors and whatnot.

" _Where the fuck did he place them? Come on, where are you? Where the fuck did that sick fuck stashed them?_ "

The Vault Hunter was about to give up when he found something. A button completely hidden behind a chest. As soon as he pressed it the walls retracted and revealed _even more_ chests. Braylon was mind blown. It was like Mercenary Day! Yay!

He quickly opened one of the chests and – holy shit – what awesome equipment! And what about that one? And that one?! WOOHOO!

The problem was that it would take too much time and space to stash them all so he had an idea. He picked only few items that, in his judgement, were extremely well-made and of high quality. Some of this stuff was probably so high tech that he doubted such weapons were on the market! He now had a moral obligation to take those babies and use them to bring a whole new level of ass-whooping. What amazed him is that not only he found his equipment but he also found some really old stuff from his home reality! Stuff like old rocket launchers, grenade mods and COMs. This would explain how Atlas was able to make such good equipment. But it would fail to explain why they never gave at least some of it to the public/market. Do you have any idea how Huntsmen would improve in their job? Maybe it was experimental?

This discovery became another reason to blow up this place. He could not, I repeat, _could not_ allow such things to fall in the moronic hands of those like Atlas. They would probably use these babies to conquer other kingdoms anyways.

Despite the manly tears, Braylon placed the last few explosive units all over the place. Every single bit had to go. No exceptions.

And done. All he had to do is backtrack... ugh.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

* * *

Roy was really becoming frustrated. What took him so long?!

The situation could not get any worse. Most of the members were quickly subdued . Some even threw their hands in the air without firing a single bullet. But then again, few were those who could compete with the Huntsmen.

Thank the gods that no one bothered to check the Bullheads. Since there were two more of those flying around, the people probably assumed that his Bullhead was an ally.

Fools. All of them.

He constantly checked the roof of the Institute for any possible signs of the human kid. He threw his arms in the air when he finally saw his partner waving his arms towards him.

The Bullhead came as close as possible to the roof, allowing Braylon to jump towards the open door and go inside the flying vehicle.

"About time you showed up."

Braylon panted. "Sorry... had to... run... place bombs... ugh." He got on his knees. "Go. Go as far away as possible. Now!"

They started flying away at fast speed but so that they could "enjoy the view". This probably alerted other Bullheads as they started flying towards them. Braylon didn't mind. He just watched through the doors.

"Brace yourself mentally, Roy! Because you are about to witness the most incredible act of demolition in existence! And it rhymes! AW, FUCK YEA!" He raised his left hand, tapped on the screen of his device and some music started plaing. "Here we go!"

( **AN:** I think I don't need to say anything. But just in case, play "1812 Overture" from good old pal Tchaikovsky. Enjoy.)

First there was one small yet visible explosion from somwhere on the top of the building. Then another and another. Suddenly, the windows started blowing up from left to right. The chain of absolute devastation rampaged through the building with its target being the giant chimney.

"WOO! LOOK HOW YEARS AND YEARS OF WORK ARE GOING TO WASTE, AND WITH THEM, THE DREAMS OF GLORY OF ALL THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS WHO RUN THIS SHITTY KINGDOM!" Braylon yelled as loud as he could.

Meanwhile, the foundation suddenly erupted into gargantuan flames while the roof became more and more destroyed with each new (and more violent) explosion. Even the chimney was about to be destroyed. First the bottom and then slowly upwards only ending in a marvelous mushroom-like cloud. Everything packed in a final, and definitely the biggest, explosion that was probably never seen on Remnant.

KA-BOOOOOOM!

It was so damn huge and powerful that not only _half of the kingdom became so illuminated that those people were awaken from their sleep from both the light and the sound, but also it was so loud that many became deaf._ Hell, everything in a radius of three kilometers simply got _wrecked_. Bullheads, houses, people, you fucking name it.

And while the gigantic flames were present, a black cloud covered the area as bits and pieces of junk started raining down on the ground.

At this point, I bet that Jimmy will hang himself in his house when he finds out about this. _If_ he survived, that is.

Fascinating. Simply amazing. Not only the Vault Hunter possibly crippled the kingdom of Atlas, but he also managed to place all the blame on the White Fang! All he needed to do was to lie to Ozpin and sell some bullshit, and it would be fine.

"Wow..." Was all Roy could say.

Wow indeed.

"Chaos, death and disorder... my work here is done. Let's go, Roy." Braylon smiled as he showed two middle fingers to the remainins of the Institute. His PDA started playing "Dust" by M.O.O.N.

Roy nodded as the Bullhead started flying towards the horizon where the sun was slowly reeplacing the broken moon.

Mission accomplished. Time to head home.


	44. Up Your Arsenal

**I am honestly surprised that no one noticed anything familiar with the object Braylon found in the laboratory. Come on! I was basically spoon-feeding it to you! Oh well, guess you will see it in action... possibly...**

 **BookDEVOURER12: To be honest, it was supposed to be a reference. But nice anyways.**

 **Guest #1: Sorry, but no. He will go back to Beacon and nobody will be suspicious. You know why? Because they are fucking morons. Shit, seriously? I watched Volume 3 and the first thing I asked myself when I saw that Paladin was "How the fuck did a _terrorist_ organization managed to steal a PROTOTYPE from a god-damn military?!"**

 **I am serious now. Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? Scratch that, this is worse than retarded. Even IRL there is no way to come close to any type of experimental weaponry without having soldiers on your ass before you can say "cookies". My answer is simple: people of Remnant (Ozpin, Jimmy and others) are completely stupid and/or blind. So yeah, it makes perfect sense.**

 **Guest #2: He will. For what purpose? Keep reading the future chapters.**

 **Guest #3: Actually, I think I will keep Penny alive. I will go with a hand wave and say that Penny is active but still somehwere in Atlas. Also, she might be important later on.**

* * *

 _Are we really having this conversation, and if so, why?_

Braylon hummed as he called Ozpin. Time to sell shit.

"Yes, Mister Braylon?"

"Ozpin! Everything's fucked! Everything!" Braylon screamed in (fake) panic.

"What happened?"

"I needed to get out of there Ozpin! That general is a fucking nut! He tossed my ass into jail!"

"...Jail?"

"Yes! Jail! Listen now! The White Fang came and everything went to shit! They freed _all_ the prisoners and there was gunfire and..."

"Calm down. Calm down. Tell me what happened."

Braylon had to suppress a laugh.

"The military came and I went to a Bullhead and... they blew up something. There was a big explosion and many died... Ozpin! I had to go away... I just had to." He even started crying to sound as more believable as possible to the completely ignorant headmaster. "I took the Bullhead and... and now I'm flying towards Vale."

"...I see."

...That's it? "I see"? No worry, no panic, nothing. Talking about being an emotional cripple...

"I don't even know if I am going in the right direction and I'm so tired..."

"Alright. I want you to listen to me. We will send you coordinates for Beacon so that the autopilot should be able to safely reach the academy."

"But I don't know how to turn on the autopilot."

"Do you have your Scroll?"

"Yes."

"Then you will soon receive a guide for it."

"Thank you, headmaster."

"No need to thank me. You are still one of my students. As such, it is my duty to protect you."

The call ended. Braylon could tell that the facade of calmness was slowly breaking down as the conversation went on. He is probably raging in that comfy chair of his.

Now that lying to Ozzy was out of the way, he finally had time to examine the loot he took from the Institute.

Aside from taking back his stuff, he also found some really good shit, both from this and his reality. So let's examine them all.

From his world: one Hyperion rocket launcher, one Maliwan rocket launcher, one S&S heavy machine gun, one Dahl combat rifle, one Atlas revolving shotgun, two COMs, one (relatively modern) Tediore rocket launcher, one Maliwan "contact" grenade mod and one Tediore "contact" grenade mod. Ten in total.

While he was happy that he took them, he had to admit that he really didn't have any use of them. Not only they were old, but they were also of lower quality. He _could_ sell them, but only in his reality. No way he was going to let the natives of Remnant find these things. What would be the point of blowing up the Institute then?!

 _Why are you here?_

One more thing. Just _how_ did the kingdom acquired this small arsenal? Back in that building he saw a dimensional rift of sorts. Could such anomaly be the answer? It would explain how he found things that weren't supposed to be here. Like those ruins or those killers who failed at their job. Hell, it would also explain how he got in Remnant! His memory was still fuzzy from before he woke up in the forest. He needed some think to think it through. Time which he didn't have because he wanted to see those _other_ weapons. So... moving on!

Braylon materialized the experimental weapons all around him and slowly examined them one by one. God, this was exciting!

The first weapon he took was, at first glance, a simple rubber grip with a red button. Turns out that, if you press the button, it becomes a whip. Not any whip, mind you. It was a dark blue whip made of energy. Braylon fucked around with it and accidentally discovered its second function: the whip of energy could be used to pull things close to him. Handy for bringing enemies out of their covers. However, for the purpose of not wasting precious inventory space, Braylon decided to turn it into a HWM function he named "Holo Whip".

You see, his PDA has a function called "Tech Assimilator" which is quite unique. Should the owner ever encounter technology that is either unknown or more advanced than the PDA, they could activate this function which will absorb the tech (either by through physical contact or dematerializing it and thus turning it into a program for the PDA to install) and make it a part of their PDA. In Braylon's case, he used this energy whip to create a new program for HWM to use when needed. Since such program was not originally found in the HWM files, Braylon was able to make the Holo Whip to be displayed as the original dark blue rather than standard orange.

Next technological marvel was a completely black, blocky, assault rifle-ish gun. Braylon aimed at the wall and pulled the trigger. It was when the blue bullet slightly _melted_ a small portion of the wall that Braylon realized he held a _plasma_ gun. Let me repeat that, PLASMA, not LASER.

Mind. Fucking. Blown.

Back in his reality, plasma weapons could be found only in fiction because plasma, unlike laser, is harder to control since it is a form of "gas". This guys, despite their stupidity, managed to make one.

Ah, but look at the obvious weaknesses. For starters, this weapon used some form of Dust-based energy cells which, aside from looking like small car batteries, are probably not sold on the market. If they are, they must be expensive as fuck. Shots left can be seen on a small holographic screen so that's not a problem. But the fact this gun was made on Remnant _is_ a problem, because it means that he cannot count on it (or other weapons for that matter) should he be outside of Remnant's atmosphere. Nevertheless, the sheer awesomness, combined with the projectile speed and their power, make it, quite possibly, one of the finest dispensers of death in his arsenal. A marvelous tool of destruction that he dubbed "Fornax".

The third weapon was a flail with both grip and ball colored in pitch black. The grip had a trigger while the ball had tiny white spikes. It was really lightweight so that the user could swing it as hard as they want. Why the trigger? The trigger detaches the ball from the grip and thus makes it into a ball-and-chain type of flail. It also turns the solid white spikes into sharp, light blue energy ones. Another strenght is the fact that the ball and the grip are attached electrically in this mode. Say hi to "Cerastes".

Now get your dicks (or vaginas) out of your pants and prepare them, ladies and gentlemen, because the following addition is something orgasming.

Imagine a rocket launcher. Now imagine that rocket launcher to be so fucking big that you have to hold it, and shoot, from the hip. Next thing you know is that you are not looking at a rocket launcher, but a flamethrower. Add some of your sci-fi imagination (turned up to eleven) and paint the motherfucker in some nice tiger orange with black, tiger-like stripes. But allow me to tell you some details.

This flamethrower fires, well, fire. So what makes it different from any other flamethrower?

Dust.

This bad boy requires Dust to work. The flames will change according to the Dust used as ammo. If you use Fire Dust, it shoots normal fire (which is already good enough)... but if you, for example, use Ice Dust, then it shoots _cold_ fire. In other words, different Dust means different type of fire that this weapon will spit out. It also has a touchscreen where you can see how much fuel is left as well as other stats. When empty (or when you want to reload it), the flamethrower automatically opens just like a Hyperion laser gun but at the bottom instead of top. It ejects out a cylinder and makes space for another one.

But wait! There's more! A secondary function!

This gift from God himself can transform into a longsword. No, it is not a toothpick like the weapon that rich bitch uses. _This_ longsword is more of a 80cm metallic slab which burns _constantly_... and in different colors/flames depending on the Dust! What a lucky motherfucker! Now Braylon can go set bandits on fire while yelling: "I AM AN ANGEL SENT FROM GOD! GET SMITED, BITCH!"

He named it "Vulcannon".

And that is all from experimental equipment. The three remaining guns are not really worth much. Either unusable or extremely flawed.

Braylon then got an idea. What if he could use both the old crap and this experimental ones to make a weapon on his own? To be a father to one-of-a-kind gun that would give "lethality" a whole new meaning and to finally get Ruby of his fucking back? I APPROVE.

The mere thought made him smile. _Him_ making a weapon. Not buying it, not "finding" it, _making_ it. Bandits, run for your lives!

After placing them back in his PDA, Braylon materialized the bottle he found in the laboratory. He wanted to take another look because there was something captivating about it. The information he gathered by scanning that pond and documents was interesting. Well, interesting is an understatement.

According to the information, the pond contained lots of chemical compounds*. DMT (at least 5%), some oxidizing agent and at least 90% of unknown chemicals. Unknown, because there is no info about them in his PDA database.

In other words, even he had no idea what he was looking at.

The oxidizing agent suggests that whatever that glowing liquid is, it was meant for drinking. But I kinda doubt someone would be stupid enough to drink something that is _this_ warm and kinda looks like liquid fire... or you know, is perfect for growing electric crystals like fucking mushrooms.

And what's with the demon-blowing-a-kiss statue? Not once he found anything related to Abrahamic religions on Remnant so he doubted the native's ability to depict a being in this way without even knowing what said being is.

And there was no Dust and/or Eridium in it.

Despite trying to find a logical explanation, his mind always returned to the possibility that this artefact was tossed in Remnant's reality, either by coincidence or intention he couldn't tell. He doubted it was the latter because he had yet to see anything pulling the strings so to speak.

 _What if I'm lying?_

His stream of thoughts was interrupted when Roy informed him that "they arrived".

Naturally, it was all part of the plan. The duo agreed to reach a small settlement on their way to Vale because they needed to split up. The Bullhead didn't come near it but rather flew above the nearby forest. While it was true that people were still sleeping, somebody would eventually get too suspicious and that was unacceptable.

"This is where we part ways..." Roy said as he walked towards the slowly opening door. Braylon rolled his eyes at the overused sentence while dematerializing the bottle.

"You have a place to go?" Braylon asked.

"In this town lives a sailor who frequently goes to Menagerie. I have a family there. Just hope they will be happy to see me."

"Why they wouldn't be?"

"Guess I will find out."

Braylon hummed and nodded as he walked towards the pilot seat.

"One more thing before I go."

"Yeah?"

"Will we ever meet again?"

Braylon lowered his head. "I hope we don't. It's the best thing for both of us."

"Farewell, then. My gods help you."

And he was gone.

Braylon scoffed. "Not even God can help me..." He murmured as he closed the door. He activated the autopilot and decided to take a nap. His only desire was to return to Beacon and sleep till the next week.

 _And lastly, are you a knight or a pawn?_

* * *

 _booom..._

"Zzzzz... Uh... boobies..."

 _booom!_

"Zzzzzz..."

BOOOM!

Braylon jumped out of his skin. "AAH! OH MY GOD!" He looked around frantically and noticed the monitors glowing red. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" He screamed.

Then an earthquake happened.

BOOOM!

WARNING! WARNING! MALFUNCTION DETECTED IN LEFT JET ENGINE! LANDING IMMINENT!

Did a dumb fucking bird decided to take a peek at one of the engines or something? Malfunction?

The vehicle started shaking violently while Braylon desperately tried to find a way to land safely.

VROOM!

He heard something zooming in front of the pilot cabin. What he saw almost wanted him to deny reality itself.

" _Oh no..._ "

It was a Jet Fighter.

A _Dahl_ Jet Figter.

It turned around, took aim and fired a laser beam.

* * *

 **New Item(s) acquired!  
**  
 **a) Holo Whip - HWM tool:**

 **\- Melee weapon**

 **\- Can hit at longer distances than standard melee attack**

 **\- The secondary function allows to grab enemies/items and bring them closer, useful for when you need to take down priority targets or draw out the more cowardly enemies from their safe covers**

 **\- Enemies caught by the secondary function are temporarily (few seconds) suspended in the air, thus becoming vulnerable**

* * *

 **b) Vault Hunter** **'s Fornax**

 **"Oh, this will make your day alright."**

 **\- Pearlescent** weapon**

 **\- Increased projectile speed, Increased** **Damage, slightly slower Reload Speed**

 **\- Highly effective vs Armor**

 **\- Highly effective vs Flesh**

 **\- Secondary firing mode: can charge a ray that deals large amounts of damage at the greater ammo cost (depending on how charged the attack is, a fully charged ray consumes all ammo in magazine but also deals the highest amount of damage)**

 **\- 78% recoil reduction**

 **\- Works only on Remnant**

 **\- Requires Dust**

* * *

 **c) Vault Hunter's Cerastes**

 **"When yelling "Stay back!" isn't enough."**

 **\- Pearlescent weapon**

 **\- Melee-oriented weapon**

 **\- 200% increased melee damage**

 **\- Does not use ammo**

 **\- Secondary function allows to hit tagets at greater distances and deal more damage**

 **\- Harder the swing, bigger the damage**

 **\- Ignores armor (armor does not reduce damage)**

 **\- Works only on Remnant**

* * *

 **d) Vault Hunter** **'s Vulcannon**

 **"Warning: Not for indoor use (unless you are at friend** **'s)."**

\- **Pearlescent weapon**

 **\- Highly effective vs Flesh**

 **\- 100% chance to ignite enemies on fire (damage over time)**

 **\- Bonus Elemental Damage (the more an enemy is hit, the bigger the damage)**

 **\- Multiple Elemental Damage (can deal more types of elemental damage at once)**

 **\- Different Dust gives unique traits to bullets (Fire Dust is standard ammo)**

 **\- Firing mode is different depending on the trigger (Holding down the trigger: flame, tapping the trigger: fireball)**

 **\- Fireball has Splash Damage (inflicting damage/effects at nearby targets when explodes)**

 **\- As melee weapon: 200% Melee damage, Bonus Elemental Damage, Multiple Elemental Damage, different Dust gives different traits, 100% chance to ignite enemies on fire, Highly effective vs Armor, Highly effective vs Flesh**

 **\- Works only on Remnant**

 **\- Requires Dust**

 **\- Limited fire range (except for fireball)**

 **\- Eats ammo quickly (Fireball has greater ammo cost than primary fire)**

 **\- As melee weapon constantly uses ammo (even when not used in battle)**

 **\- Because it uses Dust, it cannot deal Explosive or Slag damage**

* * *

 ***Made up.**

 **** I realized that I still didn't say how would I treat weapons based on rarity. Here is a rough sketch: White is common (trashy guns you can find everywhere and at low price), Green is standard (white is sub-standard, green means "everyone has these"), Blue has two meanings here (Unique: no red text, produced en masse, higher quality than green /One of a kind: red text, only one in existence, given as payment or whatever), Purple (rare but also strong, only individuals who have money can afford these), E-tech (basically purple but very rare and seriously powerful as in the most powerful non-Legendary guns in existence), Orange is Legendary (as in "Legendary series", meaning that only few of each type were produced, extremely rare and cost an arm and a leg, either payment/drop or bought (depends) / Prototype: only one such exists, either never meant for the market or just dropped as a project but failed to be destroyed (too OP, expensive to make etc.), Seraph weapons will not be included (not sure if they are canon) and the Pearlescent. Now, the Pearlescent is a bit complicated. There are two types of Pearlescent items, the "normal" (made by the corporations) and "unique" (such as weapons made on Remnant). There is also one I added which is far above others: the "Eldritch" series which has three colors (Dark red are "Cursed", Yellow are "Blessed" and Silver are "Neutral").**

 **The Eldritch items are simply unobtainable and not meant for mortals to use. These items are extremely powerful and can make (or break) the user. The only way to get these items is from beings that "are on a greater cosmic level". Because of their nature, these items always have weird designs and/or make the user uneasy. One such item is the "Legendary Hellbringer" which, despite having "Legendary" in name, is a Cursed Eldritch item. As for now, I plan to add one more such item (but _way_ later) for Braylon to use and it will also be quite powerful.**

* * *

 **So what do you think about the new additions? You will see them in action in the next chapter. And don** **'t worry, his arsenal will be even more deadlier in the future.**

 **And by the way, I gave those weapons the "Vault Hunter's" prefix because they now belong to Braylon.**


	45. No Mercy

**Enclave ranger: Define faction. Do you mean team or do you mean like a big group?  
**  
 **Guest: That is no excuse. If a military cannot protect its own shit, then what is its purpose? An tbh, it doesn** **'t look like Salem has a really big group. Just a few morons who are willing to step on corpses to get what they want. You know, basically people.**

 **Guest: Yeah... is it weird to say that I never heard of that game? The design is more a mix between the Shock Blaster from Ratchet and Clank and the plasma gun from Doom (from the Brutal Doom mod, really awesome btw).**

* * *

 _..._

 _"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned."_

 _"Heh. Who doesn't these days? Come on. There is the chair."_

 _"Thanks."_

 _"So... what you did this time?"_

 _"I just... it's so hard for me to practice my faith when not one day passes without someone trying to kill me."_

 _"Yes, we live in hard times, like our ancestors. We have to accept that evil people are a reality."_

 _"But why are they evil? Why they mock our faith, spill the blood of innocents, steal from those who worked hard to have what they have?"_

" _Sadly, our hearts are inclined towrds sin._ _Even the book says: "There is none righteous, not even one.", "There is none who understands. There is none who seeks God.", "Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and mysery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known."_

" _We are inclined to sin, whether we like it to not. But it doesn't mean that we are allowed to_ _judge others. Don't judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."_

" _But... this is so not fair! These evil people should die! They should all die!"_

 _"And who are we to judge who lives and who dies? Didn't God forbid the act of murdering someone?"_

 _"God also forbid to to lie and steal. Yet we do it anyways! Because we as a race fucking SUCK!"_

 _"The book said it, right? We are bad! We, as a race, are bad! Always inclined to do evil! Always there with our tiny fucking minds preaching about what exists and what doesn't when we still don't know shit about_ _the very_ _planet_ _on which we thrived for thousands of years_ _! We are so limited! So pathetic! So... so... bah!"_

 _"...I know how you feel, son._ _But violence won't solve violence. Blood won't wash other blood."_

 _"But... I'm making the universe cleaner by killing all those bandits!"_

 _"An assassin with good intentions is still an assassin, just like a thief who steals to give to the poor is still a thief."_

 _"But then why you just... don't throw me out of this place?"_

" _Because I am not judging you, Braylon. I know what led you to this... circumstances. I know the pain and the undying hatred you carry in your heart. But you must remember that there has always been evil. A force that wishes nothing but the destruction of everything that is pure and good. Today it is present everywhere. It is so powerful that it has corrupted the hearts and minds of many. People will tell you lies, they will mock you for what you believe in, they will use you, they will try to spill your blood. Nevertheless, you must keep following the path that God told us to follow. Don't be sad due to your suffering, because_ _all of that isn't worth comparing to what our father in the heavens gives to us every day of our lives. Let the pain, and suffering, and hatred, go. Let it all go._

 _"... For a man who lives on this planet, you sure are kind."_

 _"I have to."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because I learned my lesson the hard way."_

* * *

Blackness.

Eyes opening slowly. Loud ringing. Everything blurry.

Blackness.

Eyes opening slowly. Heart thumping. Horrible smell.

" _No... resist..._ "

Blackness.

" _Must... not... loose consciousness..._ "

Eyes opening slowly. Head rising. Sweating. Cursing. Wet. So wet.

Red.

No. Not sweat. _Blood._

Breathing is painful. Hurts. It _Hurts_.

" _Fuck..._ "

 _Something._ Sticking out of his abdomen. Metallic. Pierced his stomach.

Ringing was gone. Replaced by lots of other sounds. Alarms. Wires.

" _Get... out of here..._ "

His hands grabbed the rod, trying to remove it from his body. As he pulled the object out, he could feel the damn thing messing with his flesh, his innards. It probably damaged something important.

 **Warning. Severe blood loos detected in abdominal region. Possibility of hypovolemic shock: 20%. Starting production of morphine.** **Starting production of procoagulants.**

Braylon gritted his teeth. He was close to removing the rod completely. And that _will_ hurt.

SQUISH!

The first thing he did was gasping. He then gritted his teeth again and tried to suppress a painful mixture of screams, cursing and agony.

It hurt like a motherfucker.

Had it not been for his implants, he would _die_ just from the pain. The PDA screen displayed his organs, showing that his intestines suffered some damage. Thankfully, his device soon started "repairing" his innards with chemical compounds and nanobots. Thank God.

Braylon tossed the rod away. He had no idea where it went. Too busy thinking.

You know, situations like this serve to remind you just how alone people are. Especially people like him. After all, we are born alone, we live alone and we die alone. If you are not able to solve your problems on your own, then who will?

His "team" appeared in his thoughts. Heh... just in this situation they would die several times over while pointlessly waiting for someone (possibly their "friends") to save them. And when they find out that no one is coming to help, their last thoughts are spent on the fear of dying alone. Such is the end of those who rely on others. Not that they would understand.

He was different. While his colleagues on Pandora would help him in need, it was expected from _every_ Vault Hunter to learn how to take care of themselves. Working in groups just meant that the job would be completed more quickly. Other than that, the results would basically be the same. Which was why most Vault Hunters prefer to work alone. No one could blame them for the unexpected death of a colleague. Of course, there are lots of benefits and- but you get the point!

Self-sufficiency and independece are some of the most beautiful gifts humans could ever receive.

" _Fucking weaklings._ "

The boy slowly rose from the chair. Now that morphine started to kick in he could actually _do_ _something._

Let's see. His clothes were a mess, the Bullhead was more smashed than a whore's cunt and there was a possibility that whatever dickhead ambushed him is still somewhere nearby.

Okay. First thing he did was to get out of the cabin through the window. This task took him approximately fifteen minutes to complete. You know, because of injuries and shit.

He gave himself the privilege to take that sexy fresh air into his (maybe) ruined lungs, then he concentrated on trying to locate any sounds that usually do not belong to a forest, such as footsteps that were coming towards his direction from his left.

Still feeling pain, our hero ran (quite pathetically I might add) towards the biggest bushes he could find. After making himself comfortable as much as possible, he started looking towards the destroyed Bullhead.

Four Dahl soldiers that appeared in his sight immediately caught his attention. But these were not regular soldiers. These guys were the infamous "Dahl Space Marine"* squad, recognizable by those bulky green armors Honestly, he felt flattered but also insulted that they ambushed him _while he was sleeping_. That was just rude.

Three of them carried rocket launchers (two Torgue and one Tediore) which surprised him a bit. This meant that they were _scared_ of him so much that they brought explosives to make sure he was either dead or very dead. They had no idea that he was about to cheat Death once more.

The fourth guy was the leader because he was the only one who had a beret and was bald. Standard rules, he guessed. But _damn_ did he have a fascinating unibrow.

The man raised his right arm and the three Marines aimed their weapons at the Bullhead's wreckage. He swung his arm and they fired.

BOOM!

The bald man turned around and pressed a finger against his right ear while the other three cheered like morons, completely unaware that their target was very much alive and watching them.

He had two options. He could either attempt a silent escape or he could go guns blazing and kill them all. The problem was that he was skeptical about the number of soldiers present. The possibility of reinforcements being nearby was undeniable.

In the end, he chose the second option. Better dead than annoying.

He accepted the fact that this might be the end of the road. That he might die. That he will get the peace he wished for so long. Actually, the last part is possibly something he will never get as he was strongly thinking that he will end in Hell. Still, he saw no reason why he shouldn't bring down with him more of these sons of bitches. Assassins were on par with bandits so he doubted someone would actually care for their loss.

With a sigh and regret, he materialized both the pendant and his Omni-Cannon. The greatest threat were the rocket launchers so he they were a priority... however, the bald guy _will_ alert everyone else...

Screw it.

He aimed at one of the soldiers and pressed the trigger. His head violently exploded in fat chunks and large amounts of blood. Everything else turned into a big cloud of pink mist. This caused the leader to trun around and stare at the corpse in shock before shouting a warning.

A quiet shot pierced the helmet of the second victim. While the front was more or less intact, the back popped. It sounded like a firecracker exploding.

The third probably got some instant PTSD because the blood from the second victim was all over him. It didn't stop him from taking aim towards the bush Braylon was hiding in.

Panicking, the Vault Hunter aimed for the rocket launcher and fired. As soon as the bullet went inside the barrel, both the third target and the bald guy (plus the corpses) just... _exploded_. I would throw up if the sight wasn't so fucking awesome. Blood and limbs fell _everywhere_. Even one badly burned hand fell extremely close to his hidning spot. Rest in pieces indeed.

And there was immediately a problem. It probably alerted everyone nearby.

There was no use in hiding anymore. Both because he alerted the possible reinforcements and because the pendant worked its magic on him.

"Computer. Activate: Thermal Vision." He ordered.

 **Thermal Vision mode activated.**

He started checking his surroundings to find the other soldiers. To his misfortune, he was completely surrounded by scattered Dahl Marines, either solitary or in groups, coming towards the crash site. Hell, he even found several Dahl Powersuits. He also heard Jet Fighters flying in close proximity.

Joy and wonder.

" _Well... time to discover my destiny._ "

He also realized that this would be the perfect time to test the newly acquired items. So he turned his vision back to normal and prepared for what could possibly be his final battle.

( **AN:** Play "Deathwatch", OST from the game MadWorld.)

The boy ran towards the nearest group which consisted of five soliders. Scouts. He hid behind a tree and tried to examine their equipment. Damn, everyone and their mother were armed to the fucking teeth. Not that will make any difference.

He waited for the group to come closer so that he could prepare an effective ambush. He materialized his Holo Sabre and cut down the tree he was using as temporary hiding spot. The gargantuan plant fell on a fool, killing one and separating the others. Time to strike.

Braylon jumped out and sliced another man vertically. He then crouched, turned 180 degrees and cut the legs of a third Scout, waited for him to fall on the floor and chopped the head off.

Quickly switching from Holo Sabre to Holo Whip, Braylon moved his left palm towards a Jakobs shotgun (carried by one of the dead soldiers) and flexed his fingers as if trying to grab the weapon. His PDA shot out a dark blue beam of energy that engulfed the shotgun. Now he twisted the palm towards himself and pulled. The tool quickly floated towards him and he picked it up while at the same time grabbing his Unforgiven revolver with his right hand. The two dumbstruck Scouts suddenly met their demise.

"Motherfucker!" Cursed one soldier few meters away from him.

WHOMP!

The Jakobs shotgun exploded. Just like that.

" _What the-_ "

Braylon turned his head towards the direction from where the bullet was shot. A Marine with _really_ bulky armor, long-ass sword and a Torgue pistol was running towards him. Braylon switched to Holo Sawblade and shot one holographic projectile right into the man' right shoulder. The muffled scream gave Braylon a sign that the Marine was far too concentrated on the pain than on him. Braylon once again switched to Holo Whip but this time he picked up a large rock. The rock was behind the Marine, so said object knocked him on the ground while being forcefully pulled from its position. Braylon picked up the rock and smashed the man's head with one powerful drop.

CRACK!

Yet another Marine came out from some bushes. Braylon used his Whip to grab the enemy and pull him forward. While the screaming manbaby was flying, Braylon quickly switched to Holo Sabre. When the dead meat came close enough, he performed a horizontal slash, thus the target became half the man he used to be.

Christ, so much blood...

The Vault Hunter hid behind a trunk of a large tree as soon as one Marine got the courage to start shooting with his Hyperion SMG. Prick also got company. One Sniper (with a Dahl rifle) and one Medic. He materialized his Damned Cowboy, peeked and fired two shots in the group's direction but they were in far better position than him so he failed to hit any of them. Even if he did, the Medic would heal them. Plus the sniper rifle shredded through his cover like paper.

Even better, one Scout moron decided to sneak up on him while invisible. The problem was that the local flora made noises whenever he stepped on it, leaving a quite visible trail. Braylon waited for the guy to come close so that he could headbutt him. He would be perfect for a target dummy. The Vault Hunter grabbed the Scout by the waist and lifted him up. Yeah... he got four new holes.

From there it kinda became rather monotonic for twenty minutes. Both sides were unable to kill each other. Here and there someone would pop up and immediately lost their life, but that was pretty much it. But then...

WHOOM!

Suddenly the trunk exploded in thousands of pieces, throwing Braylon few meters away from his position.

He coughed while still on the ground, thinking what could have attacked him.

The sounds of metal quickly moving up and down gave him a clue.

A Barrage Suit.

Ho Lee Shit. Can you imagine how much of a threat he is to them when they need to send a fucking powersuit designed for _wars_? More specifically, an anti-aircraft powersuit?

He saw it now. It spread the legs, aimed every single weapon at him and fired. The rapid-firing cannons were easy to dodge but the laser beams and missiles... that's another story.

Being tossed like a ragdoll, Braylon suffered some minor wounds but was otherwise "fine". The powersuit was coming closer, wishing to finish him off.

He switched the Damned Cowboy with Fornax. The gun beeped while its holographic screen displayed a battery on the left side with a "99%" on the right along with few minor details. He quickly aimed at the powersuit and pulled the trigger. The plasma bullet easily melted away the armor and important parts, leaving behind a severely damaged pile of scrap metal that crushed on the ground with a echoing thud. 85% left.

Two Jet Fighters flew above his head. One of them carried a Fighter Crew.

That one became the first target.

BOOM!

80% left.

The second vehicle turned around and shot a laser beam from the cannon. Braylon jumped to the side and decided to try out the secondary firing mode.

The end of the barrel started collecting plasma which its owner saw as a blue sphere slowly expanding to become more powerful. The screen displayed the battery icon where the green (battery left) was quickly being replaced by a slowly rising blue (charged attack) along with a blue number that displayed a second percentage (how much battery will be used). He waited for the number to reach 20% then fired.

FWOOM!

The concentrated plasma ray pierced the vehicle, causing it to loose control and slam right into a powersuit slowly appraoching him. No need to tell the result.

" _Man I love my job._ " He smirked.

He used this perfect opportunity to sneak up on the trio from before and kill them. It was a morbid sight. The Medic turned into a charred skeleton, the Sniper finally found out what it feels like being inside a Sicilian bull and the SMG dude became a charcoal statue that crumbled as soon as it was created.

49% left. He decided to save the bullets.

"Computer. Activate: Thermal Vision."

 **Thermal Vision mode activated.**

Because of the mess, Braylon had a bit of hard time detecting other threats. This forced him to move his ass around the place. And just when he thought it was over, his jaw dropped.

A group. A really, really, _really_ big group. Possibly thirty or more soldiers, five powersuits and even a fucking Latrodectus**.

This caused him a _mild_ psychotic breakdown which (coupled with both the powers of his pendant and his, also mild, arsonistic desires) caused him to materialize his Vulcannon. There was already some Fire Dust inside, so it was usable.

Time to purge.

Screaming and running like a Psycho who discovered that a normie sat on his favorite, nonexistent bench, Braylon started setting things, and people, on fire all the while yelling some fabricated, perverted verse that inspired him to be even more violent.

"The skies blackened and the clouds reunited! Desperate bandits started panicking when look! The one who brought their demise appeared! And he said "FIRE!" and there was fire! The cleansing flames engulfed the camps of the evil and heretical murderers! Lights in their lands, created by fireballs, cut the night like a knife in raw meat!"

He transformed the flamethrower into its longsword and started cutting left and right. Anything that was not sliced in two was set on fire. He then jumped in the air and slashed the Latrodectus vertically.

BZZZT!

BOOM!

Mother of God. Look my audience! Look how this once beautiful forest slowly turned into an inferno. Where once was a forest, now there is a living volcano.

Life is hard, dear audience, really hard.

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

When there was nothing left to kill and the pendant took its payment, Braylon returned to his normal self, albeit confused and with a bad headache.

He was shocked when he saw the burning trees in front of him.

"What the FUCK happened?" He asked out loud.

"Oh." Was his reply when he saw the weapon (now inactive) in his hand and burnt corspes everywhere. "I am _so_ going to hell for this..."

He started running in the opposite direction, away from the fire, hoping to find someone who could help him get to Vale and possibly extinguish the fire. He also needed to contact Ozpin about this "incident".

" _At least I hope this is not a national park._ "

* * *

 *** Basically Lost Legion from TPS.**

 **** A type of relatively small spider tank designed for warfare. Made up.**


	46. Return to Beacon

**Guest: Basically reverse Avenger. It slowly eats ammo so that it could set the sword on fire.**

 **Guest: Yes, I tried to add some purpose instead of just being a longer Holo Sabre. I will probably add more in the future. Each unique in its own way.**

 **EzioIsPIRATE: When I played the first game I loved it a lot and waited patiently for BO2. When I started playing BO2 I could not help myself but start thinking that the first game was basically a beta version for BO2. But both BO2 and TPS are on the same level because they are, de facto, same. Only thing TPS has new is Cryo damage and laser guns (finally!) which basically became my secondary assault rifle (up: AR/left: shotgun/ down: sniper/ right: secondary weapon) because it is so damn good (but only Hyperion and Maliwan ones are relevant) but not all versions, just the Railgun and Blaster.**

* * *

In Ozpin's office silece held domain. The tragedy that happened was enough for everyone to loose their will to talk. It has been too much. Qrow sat in his chair, too busy drowning what was left of his consciousness in alcohol, Glynda was pacing around the room and Ozpin was looking in his mug.

The one who took it the worst was general James Ironwood. He was completely devastated. Normally the only thing one could see on his face is either a frown or a stoic expression. Today, though, no one could see anything because he hid his face behind the hands. Some might think that the whole thing traumatized him and they probably wouldn't be far from the truth. Still, Ironwood was the first one to gather the courage necessary to speak.

" _Years_ of hard work, of perfect discipline, all ruined in just one day."

Qrow nodded but the headmaster doubted he was listening at all. He got his proof when the Huntsman raised his canteen once more only to frown after discovering it was empty. Oh well, he had a spare one for such situations.

"I don't know. I simply don't know. Just _how_ did all of that happen? And right in front of our noses?"

"Clearly they are more organized than we thought." Ozpin commented. "We underestimated the threat."

Qrow stared in his canteen for a bit.

"I don't think that Jimmy here knows how is this going to be translated for the rest of the world."

Ironwood turned his head towards the drunkard. "Really? Care to tell me?"

"Obviously people will be more scared and paranoid. Morale will fall and many will loose hope. This in turn will cause the Grimm attacks to skyrocket. Not to mention that the more racist folk just got an _armory_ worth of ammo."

The general scowled. "That is not important as much as what we held in there, Qrow! We had things that Remnant has never seen. Because said things _never existed on Remnant to begin with_!"

"Right. Guess civvies will never see any of it, correct? There's no way it could be used by others. Too dangerous." The Huntsman snarked.

"We acquired weapons that are similar to those used by _that_ student."

"What's so special about them anyway?"

"Have you ever _seen_ any of those? Just _one_ is way more advanced than anything Atlas ever produced. Do you realize the potential? It could have changed the world! Maybe even allow us to expand our borders! Now it's all gone! Or even in the hands of the White Fang!"

The general leaned back in his chair while staring at Qrow.

"There were also... other things. Our scientists were researching some kind of anomaly that appeared right in the middle of the building."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Anomaly?"

"From what our scientists have discovered, this anomaly is some kind of a "door" that apparently is able to connect two, or possibly more, dimensions. Like a bridge of sorts."

"So is it a doorway or a bridge?" Qrow asked but the general ignored him.

"It appears to be unstable and it is impossible to see what lies on the other side. So far, the scientists only kept track of what came _out_ of the damn thing. I was about to receive a report when..."

Ozpin nodded. "Quite interesting."

Qrow sighed. "I know this may sound a bit far fetched but... what if the White Fang is framed?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if the culprit is that kid, Braylon?"

Glynda scoffed. "Come on. He is a kid."

"A kid who completely wiped out almost all of Vale's law enforcement by himself."

"Glynda is right. Such attack could have only been made by an organized group."

And while Ozpin was skeptical and dismissed such accusations, Ironwood started thinking. What if Qrow said was the truth? Sure, it sounds a bit of a stretch but...

The headmaster's scroll buzzed. He picked it up.

"Yes, Mister Braylon?"

"Puff... pant... Ozpin! I have a problem!"

The way which Braylon shouted seemed to say that he was in trouble. _Deep_ trouble.

"That kid is a trouble magnet." Qrow whispered to himself.

"I was attacked again! The Bullhead crashed into a forest and... pant... everything's on fire! Everything is burning! Please help!"

Everyone was shocked. A forest? Burning?

Ozpin frowned. A rare sight.

"I am sending a Bullhead right now. Give me the coordinates."

"Alright... here. Please hurry."

The headmaster nodded, ending the call.

"My god." Glynda sighed in worry.

"Welp, one more reason to drink I guess."

This whole comedy was going from bad to worse. And just as the festival was around the corner...

"Ozpin. I have no other choice." The general said confidently. "Atlas is forced to close its borders. No one goes in. No one goes out."

"You can't be serious Jimmy."

"But I am, Qrow. I am. And I'm sure you all know what this means. I'm sorry but I have to protect the citizens now that they cannot protect themselves."

Sadly, everyone knew what that meant. It meant that the kingdom of Atlas won't participate in the Vytal Festival and that it won't be able to help other kingdoms should they need, except Vale because part of its forces are already there.

Yes. Dark times are approaching for Remnant. The only thing left is to discover who is the friend... and who is the foe.

* * *

The heiress of Schnee Dust Company opened the door of her team's room with anger. This day was the worst day in her life. Possibly.

"What happened Weiss?" Asked her partner.

"Ever since our _teammate_ left Beacon with general Ironwood, other students are treating us like garbage!" She complained. "I keep hearing them talking behind our backs and some even look us with disgust or fear. Just what did he do now?"

"Whatever he did, he is _so_ not going near you, Ruby," Yang said. "I'm all for helping him, but I'm also for keeping an eye on him."

At first, the whole thing didn't look so scary. He was just taken to be interrogated by Ironwood. But... then someone started spreading catty rumors about their team and their lives became everyday torture. Well, at least JNPR were still friends...

For Yang this meant that she would get less attention from the opposite gender. And when she did, it was mostly out of fear, as if she were some kind of boogeyman. All thanks to that jerk Braylon.

Blake and Ruby... didn't really mind. Blake was quiet and she spent most of her time reading while Ruby was socially awkward and talked only with those she knew.

Weiss wanted respect and she had all the means necessary to earn it. However, this unfortunate stain now threatened everything she worked so hard to build. Her reputation, her prestige, everything.

"Yang! I'm sure he was forced to... to do _that_."

"It's his fault! Why he didn't told us any of it?!"

"We obviously failed to gain his trust." Blake said from her bed. "Even though I'm not sure _how_ to gain his trust in the first place."

"Yea right, I have no plans working my ass off for some mentally unstable man-child. He can get out of our team for all I care."

"Guys." Ruby pleaded. "You have to remember that he is sick! He _needs_ our help! Maybe he feels lost and alone and..." She raised her head and saw the other three staring at her with a deadpan.

"Okay! I know! He may be a jerk but still!" The young leader insisted.

"You do know he killed before, right?" Weiss asked rhetorically. "The way he murdered all those people is something only someone who killed before can do. And that paper doesn't help his case."

And while they talked, Blake decided to go to the window. Everything seemed normal until she saw a Bullhead approaching from the horizon and landing on Beacon grounds.

"Watcha looking at, Blake?" Asked her partner from behind her. She never needed to answer as the brawler saw with her own eyes. "No way... could that be... hey! Weiss, Ruby! Check this out!"

The two girls approached the window and saw the same thing as the other two.

"What? It's just a Bullhead." Weiss said.

"Well, obviously, Ice Queen." Yang rolled her eyes. "But guess _who_ could be in there."

Ruby's face lit up. "No way! Braylon?!" She was really happy. "Come on! We need to go!" She pulled her older sister by the hand before dissapearing in a cloud of rose petals.

* * *

RWBY waited for their fifth teammate to go out of the flying vehicle. The leader thought he would be happy that Braylon finally received some affection (and maybe a hug). Even if he refuses, at least their souls will be at peace. Naturally, Yang decided to stay in front of her sister should things go south. Something that everyone feared it would happen.

Ozpin and Glynda also stood with them but for a different purpose. Maybe they stood there just to observe his reaction. Maybe they wanted to say something. Whatever it was, it was unknown to them.

The first to come out was team CFVY, sent as extra help "should something happen". After CFVY came Braylon who looked mildly annoyed. The red leader couldn't care less so she pushed Yang away and jumped forward, a toothy grin appearing on her face as she raised her arms.

"Welcome back Bra-" She stopped when she saw his right hand standing inches away from her face.

"Later." He said, not even bothering to reply with a "hi" or even "sup". This of course, pissed of the blonde.

"Hey _asshole_! Our lives became miserable because of you! You don't-"

He quickly turned around and met her with an angry glare.

"Blondie, I got attacked by a group of extremists who wanted my skin for their totally stupid cause. Right now I'm in a _really_ bad mood and I just want a hot shower and my bed. But I can't have that because I need to report this to Ozzy. So you can kinda guess how much deep in shit I am! But I doubt it because your brain is the size of a fucking pickle! In other words, get the fuck outta my sight!"

"Ahem."

Braylon instantly turned around to meet with Ozpin face to face. And there, behind him, stood the keeper of the Beacon sex dungeon.

"So uh... I guess you heard all of it?"

A nod.

"Riiight... So yeah! As you can see..." He raised his hands and quickly glanced over his fucked up clothes and body. "Can we please go?"

"Sure. Follow me, Mister Braylon. Oh, and please be more polite to your teammates."

He turned his head back towards the girls. As soon as he saw Yang being held down by the other three, you know what he did? He blew a raspberry.

"...And please stop being childish." Glynda sighed.

"Yes ma'am." He gave her a mock salute before going away with them.

What a shitty week.


	47. Facing Problems

**Eye of Sauron: But in canon Atlas never needed to send an army because the police was there to help. Here, however, Atlas sent a quite large army to act as the police force (and since Vale is huge, robots are many). In short, the raid caused Atlas to send its army much larger and before the canon (there will be penny hopefully) and even before it closed its broders. So what went to Vale, stood in Vale. But believe me when I say that compared to what I have planned for the future of Vale, this is child's play.**

* * *

 _..._

 _"You have to understand, Braylon, that the modern society is corrupted to its core. Don't believe me? Go to a public place. Any place. You will see people, lots of them, all stuck in their own worlds, all concerned with pointless materialistic things. Things that they won't take with them in the afterlife. Things like social status, job, fashion. Hedonism is rampant because everyone thinks they are free to do whatever they want without any consequences whatsoever. But I ask you, have you ever seen a person spending its time in a graveyard? No? Why not? Death is a dogma. It is accepted as fact without questions. Everyone dies at the end. It is a part of the cycle of life. And yet talking about death is something to be avoided. Something viewed as pessimistic. Why? I will tell you why. Because humans are afraid of death. But why are they afraid of death? Maybe because they will die alone? Or maybe because they are afraid of loosing everything? But what if I told you that the fear of death comes from the fear of not knowing what comes_ after _death? Indeed, everyone has this inner demon and who tells you otherwise is a liar and a hypocrite. Many will tell you that when you die, you stop existing. But that excuse cannot be farther from the truth. That is the excuse of those who try to remove that fear in any way, shape or form so that they could live in their illusion that they control life itself. They will go even as far as to proclaim themselves intellectually superior while, ironically, promoting assumptions based on their own mortal minds and no evidence whatsoever. Remember Braylon, I_ know _that I have to die. Everybody does. But not everyone has what it takes to accept it. Again, go to a public place and you will see what I mean. Everyone is too lost in their lives to remember that they can die at any moment. Which is why they try to avoid it by extending the life expectancy or by cremating the corpse instead of burying it. A grave can remind you of that through all your life. Ashes can be tossed away and forgotten."_

 _..._

* * *

After giving a full (and annoying) report to the headmaster, Braylon walked his way towards the room where he could _finally_ get some sleep. Like I said earlier, he didn't really need it but I guess relying on chemicals to stay awake is not really healthy. For Braylon though, sleeping is also not healthy... for reasons that I also explained earlier.

Nevertheless, the thought of sleeping became something desirable, almost a need and BOY was he disturbed by that.

" _Mein Gott_ , _I'm going native._ "

He kept his head low, thinking to himself, and still noticed some unknown students staring at him. Some girls even started whispering ang giggling. He had no idea what that meant nor did he care.

Without any sense of etiquette or respect towards others, he opened the door with a powerful kick... and almost got a spear to the head.

"Tonnerres!" Braylon widened his eyes. What a way to get energized quickly!

"Sorry!" He heard a woman apologizing in the background.

"Right." He murmured as he stared at the weapon.

"You're back." Blake said. Seems to me that the girls decided to invite JNPR into their room. And that pissed him off. Bonus points if they tocuhed any of his shit.

"You know..." He started, taking the spear in his right hand. "This is seriously starting to annoy me."

"You could've knocked, you know?" Weiss complained.

He turned towards the girls and the guests.

"That's mine." Pyrrha said apologetically. Everyone honestly believed she didn't do that on purpose, even Braylon. But unlike the others, our Vault Hunter decided to be a dick once again and tossed the spear right towards the redhead champion. He frowned when the spear missed her by _inches_.

" _Weird. I though I aimed that perfectly..._ "

Leonidass didn't expect that at all if her face was any indication. In fact, he was sure she saw death coming for her soul.

"What is wrong with you?!" Yelled Wiess from somewhere in the room. "You could have injured- worse, _kill_ her!"

"She said she was sorry!" Jaune ( _Jaune_ ) added angrily. The ginger and the stoic decided to stand up in case Braylon started some shit. "Why would you do that?"

He raised an eyebrow. Were... were they trying to intimidate him? PFFT.

"Yeah, your dick is huge. Move fuckboy." He said to the blond knight who stood in his way, heavily influenced by the white knight syndrome that ravaged his brain. If only this textbook example of Aryan race understood that being a white knight won't get you any pussy whatsoever...

Jaune was pushed away but quickly returned to his previous place.

"Really now?" Braylon whined.

"I won't move until you apologize to Pyrrha."

Braylon sighed as he placed his left hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"Man... I am sorry. I had a really awful week and I feel like crap. I'm tired and... you know?"

Jaune, still frowning, nodded.

And then Braylon grabbed him by his armor and pulled him closer. The Holo Sabre was dangerously close to his neck.

"SO IF YOU DON'T GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY SIGHT RIGHT NOW, I'M GONNA CUT THAT TINY NUTSACK OF YOURS, DIP IT IN GOLD AND PUT IT ON A WALL AS A FUCKING TROPHY. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT AM I SAYING, FUCKBOY?! DO YOU?!"

All bravery that the young knight displayed vanished with an "eep" as the Vault Hunter grabbed him by the head and tossed him aside once more. He scoffed as he continued his journey towards the heavenly bed of his, but not before passing between Chop Stick and Weegie, both pissed off that he just humiliated their team leader. Deciding to be an even bigger jerk, he slowly turned his head towards Vike and pointing a finger at her.

"Hey, you are a ginger. I thought gingers had no soul."

Her face twisted to to express both confusion and anger. A face which Braylon found funny, apparently, as he reached his bed laughing his ass off. Needless to say that nobody was happy about it.

Before he went to bed our "beloved" hero crouched and looked under the bed. Not even ten seconds have passed that he frowned, got up and took his Unforgiven.

"Okay, who the fuck took my booze?"

He pointed the gun at Weiss.

"Was it you?"

She scoffed and turned around. The unforgiven was then aimed at Yang.

"You, blondie?"

"Implying I'm an alcoholic."

Braylon wanted so much to call her out but decided to point his revolver at Blake instead.

"Or you?"

Ruby quickly jumped in front of him and started flailing her arms.

"We took those bottles and threw them away because that is bad for your health. Ehehe..."

She smiled and rubbed the back of her head.

"Really?" She chuckled in confirmation. She also saw the end of the barrel. "Who said you could do that?"

Blondie came in his line of sight, ready to punch him in case he did something stupid. Girl, if I told you only half of what I know about him, you would make punching Braylon a hobby.

"U-uh well... mm... I'm your leader..."

"...And?"

"And... andIdecidedtothrowthemawaybecauseitisbadforyourhealthandIamyourfriendsoImust.."

Braylon rolled his eyes, annoyed, turned around and holstered his revolver while cursing quietly. He whined and tossed himself on the bed.

"Did you enjoy your trip to Atlas? Because we definitely did." He heard blondie speak.

"Good for you. Now let me sleep."

"No no, pretty boy. You are about to get an earful."

He sighed, staring at the ceiling.

"Oh wait, what's that in my pocket? Wait a second... oh! Here it is! Look!"

It was a middle finger for the brawler.

"Hmpf. Rude as always." The heiress commented.

But Yang was the one who didn't accept "I want to sleep" as an answer. So she came near his bed, grabbed him by the hand and lifted him up.

"What?" He whined as she dragged him out of the room like a bag.

"You and I have to talk. Privately."

She ignored his bitching and instead focues ond finding an empty classroom where the two can put an end to this torture. Once and for all.

* * *

"Alright. We seriously need to talk."

Braylon was cursing mentally. Instead sleeping in his God given bed, he was wasting his time talking with blondie in some empty classroom. She was sitting on a table while he was standing.

"We have nothing to talk about."

"That's a lie and you know it."

Braylon facepalmed. Why the fuck was he wasting time with this idiot?

"Just... tell me what's wrong and let me go back to bed."

Despite his attitude, Yang was really calm. Unusual, since she is the hot blooded of the group.

"I don't know. You tell me."

Ho ho ho, well. Nothing's wrong with Braylon! Except... you know... he caused millions of Lien worth of damage in a _day_. But let's not forget that this is nothing when you realize that this motherfucker is one tough cookie. Though I can't exactly tell what type of cookie he is. I say he is a snickerdoodle. Or the chocolate chip one.

"It's simple, really. I have no idea why you four are mad at me."

"You and I both know this can't go on anymore, Braylon. You can't just go around and... do whatever you want to do without thinking about the impact it could have on others. Especially us, your team, your _family_."

Dear God in Heaven, this is going to be good.

"Is that how you view teams? Seriously?" He mocked.

"Yes, Braylon. This is how I view our team. A big, extended, family. There is Weiss. There is Blake. And there's Ruby of course." She smiled. "And honestly, I treat them all like sisters. Not just Ruby."

Braylon noticed this behavior way before the conversation. Being an individual with vast knowledge, he also did a little psychological evaluation on the blondie. It appears that Yang developed her nurtring sense to the point of acting as a mother to everyone close to her. This suggests that she, during her childhood, must have lost her mother. And _that_ would explain why Ruby and Yang are physically different... and why Yang is so defensive when it comes to Ruby.

In other words, she is overprotective as fuck.

"And that involves me how, exactly?"

"Just look at Ruby. She is trying so hard to act like a true leader would despite being childish sometimes. She cares for us all and we all care for her. Everyone, except you."

"So you want me to shower her in praise even when she fucks up?"

Yang scowled. "No, that's not the point. The point is, that you take all of her generosity and stomp it as if it's a useless thing. You don't even try to help her, or all of us for that matter."

Braylon chuckled. "Well, sweetie, generosity does not stop bullets from hitting you."

"But we are not fighting people. We are fighting Grimm. She may lack some skills but that's the point of going into Beacon. This is why we are called 'in training'. I don't see any problem in her and that's my sister we are talking about."

You are also incredibly biased. But who am I to judge?

Braylon placed the hands behind his back and turned around.

"On the battlefield, if you hesitate, you or somebody you hold dear, dies. It's the very first rule you learn in the army." He said. "Which is why it is expected from anyone to come up with a solution for any problem in a matter of minutes. And _this_ is where Ruby comes into play." He turned around again. "One of the reasons why I simply cannot tolerate any of you is Ruby being a leader. She is an optimist, she tries to help anyone no matter what. And that is bad."

Still angry, she asked. "And why is that bad?"

"Remember what I said about hesitating on the battlefield? I am certain that she _will_ hesitate. And when she does, someone will die. Someone close to her. She will blame herself and fall into depression. Something that will ultimately destroy her."

"But we are not on a battlefield, Braylon. We fight Grimm and occasional bad guy. We are not going into war or something."

"And who says you won't? You think this period of peace will last forever? Sooner or later, some dickhead will start some shit that will turn quickly into a war. Ruby will try to act like a hero... and she will be the first one to die."

Yang stood on her feet. "Ruby can take care for herself in any situation, thank you. What's so wrong in trying to save someone's life?"

"Is it worth loosing your own in the process?"

"If I'm doing the right thing, yes!"

Braylon scoffed as he raised his head to stare into the ceiling. "Christ..." He muttered.

"You know, if you stopped acting so selfishly and start caring for those who want to be close to you, maybe the world would be nicer to you."

"No, you don't understand. I give negative fucks about the world and the others. I have no reason to loose my life over some fucking peasant who probably deserved to die anyways."

She was shocked by the answer her teammate gave. That did not stop her from talking back.

"So you resort to violence and murder to reach your goals?!" Her eyes started turning red. "That's why you decided to kill those people in the Police Department. Other's lives mean nothing to you."

"Of course they don't! Why would I care for someone else when I have a life of my own?!"

"Unbelieveable! People like you are the exact reason why people are pessimistic!"

"I don't fucking care, because in the end what matter to me is me and what matters to you is you!"

"Liar! I care about JNPR as much as I care about our team! They know it and they appreciate it!"

"The whole 'socialising and making friends' is based on LIES!" He exploded. "Do you realize that the whole concept of friendship was created because our ancestors needed to work in groups to catch food?! If it weren't for that, friendship like you know would never exist in the first place!" He continued. "Ruby is a martyr. A person who will die for her beliefs to make the world right again. Too bad that modern society values suicidal cowards over martyrs, dismissing them as lunatics! And I should risk my life for such people? Fuck that! I would rather kill them instead! It's like the irony of pro choice: give the right not to the one who needs to live but to the one who takes the life away."

Yang was partly confused. What the heck is 'pro choice'? She needed to ask that later.

"And you are absolutely sure that you don't view the world through crap-stained glasses, aren't you?" She snarked.

He came closer. "I started my career as a Vault Hunter with nothing and I still got most of it left. Believe it or not, I was similar to Ruby back then. Only to, thankfully, find out that it was pointless. So I decided to try a radical approach to life. Every bad guy in my way dies by my hands, no matter the crime they commited. I realized that letting the government ( _not that there was any_ ) deliver the justice is like pissing in the wind, because the criminals would just be in prison for a few years only to be free again to rape, murder and whatnot. Never let your sense of morals to prevent you from doing what is right."

Her eyes widened only to return to her angry mode.

"That's not delivering justice! That's revenge!"

"And what do _you_ (he pointed a finger) know about such topics anyway? You, like the others, lived in your safe shelters away from any kind of danger whatsoever!"

Yang turned around and walked towards the chalkboard. She picked up a chalk and started drawing something.

"Ruby and I live on Patch. An island near Vale. Our father is a teacher at Signal Academy while our mother..." She sighed. Was she... sad? "We weren't born from the same mother. Ruby's mother is Summer Rose. She was... a really great mom, you know? She baked cookies, she slayed Grimm... And then one day... she just... she was gone." Braylon raised an eyebrow. "Our father kinda lost it. He stopped being a real father since then. It was also the time when I found out about _my_ mom. This woman left me and father shortly after birth and I never knew why. I was motivated to find out the reason why she left, so I placed Ruby in a wagon and I took her with me to a location where I thought she would was. It was really hard and I was bruised and tired. Nevertheless, I decided that it was worth it. So we found the house in the middle of nowhere and things took a turn for the worse. A group of Beowolves attacked us and almost killed me. If it weren't for our uncle, we would be dead." She turned around. "From that day onward I was ashamed of my actions and I promised to myself that, aside from helping father raising Ruby, I would never allow that search to consume me."

The classroom was quiet for some time before Braylon spoke.

"...That's it?"

"Wha-" She turned to him, confused. "What do you mean "that's it"?"

"Such thing isn't even considered bad from where I come from. There is worse, much worse."

Angry, confused and surprised, she asked. "...Worse than this?"

"You are so pathetic if such petty thing hurts you. What about those parents who willingly decide to make a baby only to throw it in a dumpster or, worse, abort it? What about those families where the father is a real and good father only for one night to just snap and murder every other family member? What about those parents who sell their own children's organs for money? What about those families where children need to watch domestic violence every single day of their lives, knowing full well that they are unable to do anything to make it stop and that it will have such devastating impact on them for the rest of their lives?" He lowered his head, his bangs shadowing the eyes. "...And what about those young children where they are forced to watch as their father is killed and their mother and little sister raped in front of him before also being killed by a group of bandits?" He raised his head. "What about all of them, Yang? Don't you think their crosses are harder to carry than yours? If that little thing changed your life so drastically, than you don't deserve pity. You deserve everything you've received... you _weakling_."

With that, he turned around and went out of the classroom, leaving a stunned Yang behind.

Dear gods, she wanted to... wanted to... AAAH!

She punched the professor's table so hard that it broke in two. Her eyes were red and her hair was on fire. She was really angry.

But there was one thing she didn't understand. Why did Braylon go into detail with the last situation? Sure, it's bad like the others... but why that situation specifically? It felt like he knew someone who was a survivor of such catastrophe. Someone close. Someone...

Her eyes immediately turned back to lilac as she covered her mouth with both of her hands. Rivers of tears started flowing suddenly from her widened eyes as she fell on her knees.

"Oh my god..." She whispered to herself.

* * *

 **I will probably try to make a RWBY chibi episode for the next chapter. The mini-series will contain Braylon, references (as always) and even go so far as to mention Braylon's VH team (this last one is not guaranteed).**


	48. Postmodern Frankenstein

**I just now realized how we are not far from Borderlands reality. Poverty and crime show no signs of stopping from rising, megacorps powerful enough to buy small countries, special snowflakes, flat-Earth is a thing, politicians and many other wonderful things.**

 **Eye of Sauron: Why am I sensing that this whole "saving the world on accident" is actually becoming a thing among the audience?**

 **But just out of curiosity, anyone willing to tell which chapter was their favorite and why?**

* * *

Yang rushed out of the classroom. Ubeknownst to many, she was actually caring about her fifth teammate... even though in somewhat different ways than the others. With Ruby, Blake and Weiss it really is easy to help and protect. But with Braylon...

With her reddened and watery eyes she spotted Braylon at the end of the hallway with his back turned and his legs slowly walking away. It was now or never.

"Braylon, wait!" He didn't.

She ran towards him as fast as she could. When she came closer she called him once more.

He stopped this time but didn't bother to turn around.

"What?" He simply asked.

"I... I..." She came and hugged him, much to his surprise. "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!" She cried.

He simply stood there, silent.

"I didn't know... I just didn't know."

He decided to respond.

"You don't need to. My problems are my to solve." He said calmly.

"Braylon!" She said. "No one deserves to have such weight on their shoulders. Not alone. Please... allow us to help."

He lowered his head.

"I don't need your pity. If I was able to cope with it for so long, than this is a sign that I and I only can solve my problems. Others are unwanted."

She forcefully turned him around and when she saw how _calm_ he was, her eyes turned red and she became angry.

"Stop with this crap! Just stop it! Who do you think you are to act like this?! Don't you realize that such burden will destroy you completely?!" Tears started falling down her face again as she hugged him once more. "Please..." She whispered. "Please let us help... let your _friends_ help you, Braylon. I beg you."

He was puzzled. Why she, a complete stranger, would ever show so much emotion and "support" for him, an unknown? Though it is true that sometimes stranger treat you better than your family, A.K.A. those people who should always be there for you.

This was comical. He refrained from laughing.

She looked him in the eyes and noticed something horrifying. Just now she noticed it.

It is a fact that people, no matter how sad or happy, have this strange "brightness" in their eyes. It is a clear sign that someone is _alive_ , no matter how hard their life is.

Braylon didn't have that.

It was like looking at a _thing_ , not a _man_. All she saw in his silver eyes was... an abyss. Nothing. Darkness. _Depression... despair..._

Just what the hell did he saw that turned him into... _this_? A walking dead man? A broken rollercoaster of negativity? Someone who saw no way out of the bottomless pit?

And most importantly, is that really him?

She couldn't take it anymore. She took few steps back and looked at him in horror, something that confused Braylon.

"Uh... do I have something on my face?" He said awkwardly as he scratched the back of the head.

"Dear god..." She whispered. "What happened to you?"

He dropped his assholery and became serious.

"Why you never told us you were sick? That you need help?"

"I don't need your help. I am fine on my own."

"Lies." She said. "Stop lying to me."

"I told you I am-"

She slapped him.

"God damn it. First Weiss and now you." He sighed.

She grabbed him by the remains of his shirt (yeah, he was walking around the academy with his wrecked clothes on) and shook him.

"Stop acting so casual about it! This is a serious problem!"

"Just stop already!" He shouted back which made her stop. "Just... stop. I am fine. I really am."

"No you are not. Braylon, you are sick and broken. Your own eyes give you away."

"Just... leave me alone." He lowered his head. "Please."

"I won't leave you alone until you talk to me."

He fidgeted in place.

"You don't want to know."

"But I do." She kept pressuring him. "As will others."

"My life is-"

"Not anyomore. You won't be alone this time. You have our support. I promise."

He turned around. Before he walked away, he said one last thing.

"Don't make promises you won't be able to keep." He turned his head to the left, a faint smile was on his lips but she couldn't see his eyes. "Don't bother with me. It's better to let it go." He turned his head again. "I'm fine." And he walked away.

Yang was devastated. She didn't understand why he acted like that, why he refused any help. Gosh, it was irritating her.

"Braylon..." She said to herself.

* * *

Women. Always emotional about pointless shit.

Well, there goes the desire to sleep.

Braylon decided that going to bed was not important so he activated his anti-sleeping program. As soon as he did so he felt energy coming back to his body as if he did a century-old nap. Damn.

Ok. So his plan for sleeping was thrown out of the window. This means he now had free time. Free time means boredom... unless...

He smirked.

He suddenly remembered what he needed to do. He needed to build his own gun. A "postmodern" Victor Frankenstein with his glorious monstrosity. The only difference is, that this scientist is gonna build a gun and not a walking corpse. Mwah hah ha and all that.

With nothing more to delay him, Braylon immediately ran towards the Forge.

He slammed the door open, scaring the crap out of the technician.

"Oh! Damn it! Ever heard of knocking?! And what happened to you?!"

Braylon ignored him and went for one of the workbenches. He materialized all the "junk guns" he acquired from his latest exploits, earining a "damn son" from the man behind him. The first thing he did was sort them all. On the left were the items from his reality while on the right were the guns from Remnant. Still ignoring the technician's rambling, Braylon readied himself for what would be several hours of cursing and working.

And that's when he spotted Ruby.

He frowned. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she ran towards him and hugged him, burying her face in his chest and crying. Braylon deadpanned and looked at the technician who had a smug grin, nodding as he walked away.

Ruby kept her muffled talking until he gently patted her on the head to get her attention. She looked up with those _cute_ eyes. My God, is there a person who can say no to her?!

Oh right. Forget I asked.

"Ruby." He spoke. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"B-b-but... I-I didn't know..." She buried her face again and wailed loudly.

"Shhh..."

He was really awkward when it came to comforting others. Mostly because he almost never comforted someone. At least not like this.

He tried, as gently as he could, to raise her head to look her in the eyes.

"Ruby. It's okay. I'm a big boy, I can take it. Alright?" She looked at him with worry. "Alright?"

She nodded weakly.

"You... jerk." She said, making him raise an eyebrow.

"We all need hugs. We are your friends and there for you. Remember that." She smiled. "If there is anything I... WE can help..."

He smiled softly. "You want to help?"

"Yes! Yes!" She nodded.

"Then help me make a weapon."

Any trace of her depressive state quickly vanished and was replaced with joy and happiness.

" _Children._ "

Yes. Sometimes Braylon was a born liar.

* * *

She took the S&S Machine Gun and the Dahl Combat Rifle, stripped their frames and combined several parts to make a unique one. But this wasn't enough so he took the new frame and combined it with that of the Hyperion Rocket Launcher. The result was a Rocket Launcher that can be hold as an assault rifle.

The weapon required a cylindrical, revolving magazine much like that of a revolver. Or in his case, the Atlas Revolving Shotgun. The problem was that the cylinder was too inadequate because, in his crazy mind, he planned for the magazines to hold 40mm grenade/rocket hybrids. I will explain that later. All you need to know is that they spent half an hour removing the cylinder from the shotgun and upgrading it (revolving cylinder plus S&S magazine tech) for his nefarious purposes. He ended up with a circular (5cm thick, 20cm wide) magazine capable of holding 8 bullets.

He realized that he wanted the gun to be lightweight so that it could be easy to move around and aim when necessary. Too bad that both the frame and magazine are heavy. He needed to dismantle the Tediore Rocket Launcher for its carbon-fiber parts which could be used as equal-but-less-heavy replacements. They both liked the results.

This was just the beginning and Ruby was already salivating over ALL weapons she saw. She tocuhed each one, inspected, commented and then placed it back where it was. Braylon prayed God to give him some of His divine patience.

"Oooo. What's this? And this?!" She asked as she picked up a grenade mod and a COM.

"The object in your left hand is a grenade mod. It basically allows me to modify my hand-throwable grenades. There are hundreds of those and each gives different effect like making them bouncy or sticky. The thing on your right is a COM."

"COM?"

"Class Optimization Module. Similar to grenade mods but used on me instead."

"You?"

"Yeah, like..." He sighed and stopped his work. "I can equip it and then it gives me a bonus in fights. Like speed or strenght."

"Cool." She had stars in her eyes. "Can I have one?"

"Everythign that is here will be used for my weapon. And I have none on me. So I'm afraid that is not possible."

"Aww."

"Now come on. We still have work to do."

"Alrighty."

Now came the hardest part.

He took the elemental converter from the Maliwan Rocket Launcher along with the two grenade mods and COMs. The plan was to upgrade the converter to shift between elements depending on the ammo. Braylon also took the photon generator unit from Tediore Rocket Launcher and combined it with the elemental converter. Two hours of God damn work. But that was not enough.

"Ruby." He said. "I want you to go to our room. On my workbench are two glass jars with shiny shiny rocks. Please bring them to me."

"Two glass jars with shiny rocks coming right up, mister!" She saluted and vanished in her typical rose petal style.

* * *

"You think we will be able to break him out of his shell?" Yang asked others. They were currently playing with cards.

"He is sad." Nora commented. "But I'm sure he is no meanie. He just needs hugs. Everyone needs hugs."

"No. He couldn't be mean. At all." The heiress replied sarcastically as she threw a card. "Although... what you told us Yang..."

"It must have hurt him deeply to turn into what he is now." Said Phyrra.

"No wonder." Yang murmured. "To be forced to see something like that..."

"And by a group of bad people..."

"I hope they break their legs!"

"Calm down Nora. I'm sure they got what they deserved."

"Yeah. I hope they stay in jail for their entire life." Said Jaune. Even he was angry.

"Knowing Braylon, I'm sure they are not even alive anymore."

"What do you mean Yang?"

"I once saw him how he killed someone. He did it with the coldness of a snake."

"What... are you guys talking about? He really killed someone?!"

"Long story, Jaune. Tell you later."

"I wonder what the two of them are doing right now..." Blake blurted out to remind everyone that she was still in the room.

SLAM!

"OhmygoshIdiditIbrokeintohisshellandnowIamhelpinghimmakeareallycoolweaponoutofmanyothercoolweapons..."

"Sister, Ruby! Stop!" Yang ordered as she shook Ruby slightly. "What happened? And why are you so dirty?"

The red leader couldn't contain her happiness any longer.

"Eeek! I made it, Yang! Braylon is friendly towards me! He also asked me to help him build a new weapon!"

"...That can't be good... right?" Asked Jaune in the background.

"A new weapon?"

"Yes, Blake! A new weapon! Somehow he got these really cool weapons in his infinite stash and he uses them to make an even more awesome weapon!" She waved with her hands in excitement. "I need to bring him those two glass jars!"

"Those rocks? What for?"

She shrugged.

"You do know how he acted the first time you tried to touch them, right?" Nod. "Well... be careful then."

Ruby used her semblance to pick the jars and run out of the room.

"Have fun!" Her sister yelled.

"Should we worry about her?"

Yang hummed.

* * *

"I'm back!"

"Good. Now give me those things."

"Nu-uh."

"What now?"

"First tell me what these... things... are."

"Ruby-"

"Take it or leave it."

"Ugh. Fine." He sighed in irritation. "The purple one is called Eridium. It is a very important mineral used in making weapon making. The other one is called Moonstone. I got it from, well, the moon."

Ruby gasped. "You were on the moon?!"

"Not Remnant's moon."

"Huh?"

"Look. Can we please finish this and then talk later?"

He broke the jars and took the two rocks. They were perfect for his this monster.

Time to add more tech. They both collected all important parts from all guns so that the final product possesses all pros from all guns. Hyperion's accuracy, Maliwan's elemental might, Tediore's ligthweight frame and easy-to-reload parts, Dahl's recoil reduction, S&S's tech power, Atlas' a-bit-of-everything stuff, Vladof''s fire rate (from COM) and Torgue's manly awesomeness. The useless experimental guns were also useful here.

All of it painted in electric blue shade of cyan.

"It. Is. ALIVE!" They both shouted.

The end result is fucking awesome. A Rocket/Grenade that can be hold as an assault rifle with a tubular appearance and four nozzles which can rotate when firing. It also has a revolving magazine at the bottom, glowing highlights inside the tube which change color depending on the type of ammo used and even a fucking reflex sight. All thanks to sci-fi bullshit, make-believe science, engineering no-how and unicorn tears. Awesome.

"What do you think?" Asked Braylon.

"It looks so _cool_!" Ruby jumped up and down. Poor girl probably got a nerdgasm.

"I know." He answered proudly.

"...And the name?"

"Name?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't plan to name it though..."

"You must name it."

"Why?"

"Because weapons are parts of ourselves. They are a part of us. Of our personality."

"Our personality? Huh..." Braylon placed a finger on his chin. "Well, I have a name for it."

"Yes?"

"Yes. Say hi to Boreas."

* * *

 **New item acquired!**

 **Vault Hunter's Boreas**

 **"Apocalypse can kiss my ass."**

 **\- Pearlescent (Unique) weapon**

 **\- Rocket/Grenade Launcher hybrid**

 **\- Due to how it was created, Boreas has: increased Accuracy (old Hyperion), increased Fire Rate (Vladof), increased Magazine Size/Tech Damage (S &S), low Recoil (Dahl), increased Reload Speed (Tediore), increased all stats (Atlas), Elemental effect (Maliwan), increased Damage (Torgue)**

 **\- Can use both Dust based ammo and standard ammo**

 **\- Can work outside of Remnant (due to nature of Dust, can use only standard ammo)**

 **\- Standard Damage: Explosive (only standard ammo)**

 **\- Different Dust gives different effects**

 **\- Cannot deal Corrosive or Slag Damage**

 **\- Ammo cannot be bought (outside of Remnant), only created**

 **a) Primary function: Assault Rocket Launcher**

 **\- Aiming with the scope marks the targets for rockets to hit**

 **\- Eight shots**

 **\- Medium-to-small area of effect**

 **\- Primary firing mode: normally shooting rockets (a bit delayed because nozzles must spin first)**

 **\- Secondary firing mode: loads four rockets in the gun, all rockets are fired soon after the fourth is loaded (delayed fire, lots of damage, accurate)**

 **\- Extra feature: pre-spinning nozzles (faster shooting at expense of accuracy)**

 **b) Secondary function: Assault Grenade Launcher**

 **\- Costs 2 ammo per shot**

 **\- Wider area of effect than rockets**

 **\- Grenades are thrown in arc**

 **\- Primary firing mode: normally shooting grenades (faster than rockets)**

 **\- Secondary firing mode: delayed explosion grenades**

 **\- Extra feature: swapping grenade types (Contact, MIRV, Rubberized, Sticky or Rain)**

 **So what do you think? Do you like this abomination meant for absolute destruction?**

 **Oh, before I forget, here is the first episode of the mini-series I call "RWBBYlands Chibi". This series is mostly non-canon (will alert when it is) where the main characters have weird, crazy and funny moments either solo or together. AKA scenes that come up in my mind but have no place in the main story. Please note that you, the readers, can help by sending a PM (so you do not spoil for others) where you shortly describe a scene that you would either like to see or that came up. I will, of course, write your name on the title of the scenes. Another thing, this mini-series won't follow a pattern in publication, meaning that not only the episodes do not come in any particular order/chapter but also that each episode might also be the last (depending on multiple factors such as how you react to it or how my "creativity" works).**

 **Enough talking, welcome to RWBBYlands Chibi!**

* * *

 **Scene 0 – Intro**

(Ruby pushes the title text. She is tired but keeps pushing. She finishes her job and notices the camera. Bounces towards it. She smiles.)

RUBY: (Waving.) Hello! (Keeps watching.)

(Meanwhile, from the left side, comes Claptrap. Stares at the title text and shows a middle finger to it. Pulls out a bottle and starts drawing a blue penis on Ruby's emblem.)

CLAPTRAP: (Done. To viewers.) Yo dawg!

RUBY: (Confused.) Huh? (Turns around. Angry.) HEY! (Runs towards her emblem and starts freaking out.)

CLAPTRAP: (Rolls towards screen.) What the **** you came here for? Peanuts? Sorry, we have no peanuts.

BRAYLON: (Off screen. Yelling.) Speak for yourself!

CLAPTRAP: (Ignores.) But we have some really cool stuff called... (Ruby's emblem falls on her and "Chibi" explodes. "RWBY" falls to the ground, Y detaches from the rest of the word.)

CLAPTRAP: ****! I TOLD YOU TO BE READY, MORONS! WHO CAN SLEEP DURING THIS ****?! COME ON!

(Braylon comes in welder clothes and carries B. He fuses together/repairs "RWBBY". A worker brings "lands" and adds to "RWBBY". Two ropes come from above. Braylon attaches those to "RWBBY" and waves his arms. "RWBBY" is slowly rising. Two workers bring "Chibi" below "RWBBYlands". Braylon lifts up Ruby's emblem but ignores stunned Ruby. Sees the penis and frowns, flips the emblem to the other side and paints a blue Vault symbol with the V slightly moved to the right.)

BRAYLON: (Shrugs.) Meh, close enough.

(Weiss, Blake and Yang show up. Yang reaches Ruby and starts panicking. Weiss is complaining and Blake is reading a book.)

CLAPTRAP: (Slaps his eye.) Ugh.

(Beeping.)

* * *

 **Scene 1 – Ruby the Psychic**

("Sneaky Snitch" from Kevin MacLeod plays in the background. Ruby wakes up.)

RUBY: (Yawns.) Hmm... Cookie time! (Smiles as she goes down from her bed. Goes to the kitchen and sees the cookie jar above the fridge. Knowing that she cannot reach it, she takes a chair and uses it to reach the jar. As soon as she grabs the jar she falls on the ground and off screen. Raises the cookie jar.) Still here!... Ouch. (Slowly gets up and puts the jar on the table. Excited. Opens the jar. Her smile turns into a deadpan* and her right eye twitches once. Returns tot he main room. Shouting.) Who stole my cookies from the cookie jar?!

(Camera moves to Yang, Blake, Weiss and Braylon. Everyone has a deadpan except Braylon who has wide eyes and toothy grin.)

RUBY: (Off screen.) BRAYLON!

BRAYLON: (Still grinning. Turns eyes towards camera.) _This woman must be some kind of a psychic!_

* * *

 **Scene 2 – Wrong Dummy**

(Braylon and Jaune stand outside and stare at a target dummy. Both are a bit distant from each other. Jaune is happy while Braylon is deadpanning and holding Fornax charged and ready to fire.)

JAUNE: Alright, Braylon. (Dramatic.) That is our alien threat and is about to attack Remnant (Braylon looks at the audience.)! (Comes closer. Whispers.) Remember. That dummy is our enemy. Kill the dummy. Kill the dummy! (Yelles and points at the sky.) KILL!

(Camera points to Braylon who makes an angry face and fires at Jaune off screen. Loud explosion and small earthquake. Camera zooms out to reveal Jaune, completely black and with steam coming from his body.)

JAUNE: (Deadpan.) Wrong dummy.

BRAYLON: (Deadpan.) Then be more specific.

* * *

 ***Narrow, closed eyes and straight mouth. Have no idea how to call this expression.**

 **I think this is will be all for the first episode since it is a pilot. Let me know what you think of it.**


	49. Opening Up

**I decided that "RWBBYlands Chibi" will be a series on its own. The reason for this is because I don't want to ruin the mood of the chapter by forcing the reader to feel a totally different emotion. Like, can you imagine a chapter where the characters go through tragedies and shit, which is supposed to make the reader sad, only to laugh ten minutes later at the short comedic stuff after that chapter? Yeah... not a good idea.**

 **P. S. Already wrote a second episode. Go check it out.**

* * *

Do I really need to say how both of them were happy? I personally have no idea who is happier. There is Ruby who is trying so hard to not loose control of herself and just use the gun as sex toy and then there's Braylon who is thinking how his dick got bigger just by holding the damn weapon. Both were talking constantly about it as they walked towards their room. For Ruby, there was no better moment. The girl thought all of her attempts at making him more sociable/friendly finally paid off.

Poor, stupid thing.

"Braylon." She suddenly said. "When we get back, I want you to tell us _everything_ you can think about you."

The boy raised an eyebrow and stared at her.

"Why?"

She smiled, "We all want to know you better... I mean... uh..." She started panicking.

"...No."

"W-why?" She felt like she has just been slapped. Did all her efforts fail?!

"What do you mean "why"? It's personal information."

"But... but... look at us!" She complained. "Even Weiss became my BFF-"

"She is not your BFF."

"My _BFF_... and there's Blake who is more friendly and..."

"Forget about it."

Ruby ran in front of him and raised her hands in front of her as if trying to stop him or something. LOL.

She raised her head and gave him the puppy dog eyes bullshit. He deadpanned.

" _Is she... is she really trying that? Seriously?_ "

"Please..." She tried so hard to sound as cute as possible. "Do it for _me_. Pleeeeaseee..."

"...Nope."

She became sad. Like, _really_ sad. Kinda like a poor puppy when you hit it with your leg.

I say, kick the son of a bitch.

Without any worries, Braylon contined to walk down the hallway while whistling an old song. His calm, cool and collected demeanor suddenly dropped when he saw who was coming in the opposite direction. Who else than the drunkard himself.

Helloooo Monday.

Braylon frowned. That man definitely wasn't an unpleasant sight for the eyes.

"Huh, speak of the devil." The drunkard said loudly.

"Not you again." Braylon complained. "I was just having good fun."

Ruby appeared out of nowhere and gasped.

"Uncle Qrow!" She ran and hugged the old fart in front of them. But he was not having any.

"Not now, Ruby. Me and your teammate over there need to talk. Go bother someone else."

"Huh?"

"Go." He ordered. When Ruby dissapeared around a corner, Qrow started talking.

"How was your trip from Atlas back to Vale, kid?"

Braylon didn't like where this was going.

"Pretty shitty."

Qrow faux smiled and nodded, "I see...", he then turned serious, "Come on, kid. Let's drop this bullshit act and just admit it."

"I have no idea what are you talking about."

The drunkard chuckled, "The most important building in the kingdom conveniently blows up the same day the prisonbreak happens... in the same prison _you_ were placed." He frowned. "You can't make this stuff happen even if you want to."

"Great conspiracy theory, old man. Now excuse me but I have to-"

As soon as Braylon moved one step forward, the older Huntsman stood in front of him. They both looked each other in the eyes.

"Someone needs to bring you down to earth, kid. You need to learn this lesson and who better than me to do it. Meet me at the arena tonight, You and I are gonna have a little... match."

Qrow went away before Braylon had a chance to respond. God, it was _irritating_.

He gritted his teeth and tightened his fist. This was a problem that he really didn't need.

And what about Ruby who was hiding behind a corner and listening?

* * *

"Okay, once more.. and slowly this time."

"Uncle Qrow wants a match against Braylon. And he was talking about some prisonebreak and there was an explosion and-"

"Ruby... maybe you didn't hear me well... I said _slowly_."

"Yang! Uncle Qrow was pointing the finger at him for something I'm sure he would never do! Why is he so mean?!"

Weiss cut in, "Are we sure this is Braylon we are talking about?"

"Weiss!"

"What? I'm not lying."

"But he would never do something like that! No one could do something like that!"

"And yet the White Fang did it."

"What are you implying?" Blake asked the heiress.

"That all Faunus are barbaric murderers and thieves!"

"That's not true! They are people too!"

"They are animals!"

SLAM!

Every head turned towards the door and noticed a pissed off Vault Hunter. He completely ignored everyone else and went straight towards his bed.

"Uh... Braylon?"

"Leave me alone."

"Okay." Ruby whispered and lowered her head.

"So..." Yang began. "Uh..." She turned to others and mouthed "please help me", "And... are you alright?"

"Yes, blondie. I'm alright." He said as he threw himself on the bed.

"Please, Braylon. This is a serious moment. We are all worried for you."

"Something is bothering you." Blake added.

"And no. You are not fine."

He could be heard sighing.

"If I promise to tell you, will you leave me alone?"

Just as every girl in the room was about to say "no", Ruby responded for them.

"Yes!"

"Alright, cool." He immediately sat up and started talking. "So there is this asshole (Ruby and Yang were slightly angry) who is accusing me of what happened at Atlas. Something about an explosion? Anyway, he is accusing me but knows shit about what happened there. I worked my ass off to reach a Bullhead and return back here. And _now_ he wants me to fight him! As if I don't have shit to do!" Silence. "Alright now? Can I go back to sleep for, like, eternity?"

"Actually..." Blake interrupted, making Braylon roll his eyes. "There is something we... forgot to ask you." Yang and Blake now look at each other before turning their gaze to Weiss. Neither Braylon or Ruby had any idea what was about to happen.

Weiss nodded and went to a drawer.

"While you were in Atlas, rumors were spreading around Beacon. That, you know." Braylon raised an eyebrow. "What you don't know is _why_ these rumors started in the first place." Braylon saw the heiress picking up a pile of... books?

She took those gave them to him. His jaw dropped.

Comic books.

" _Oh fuck._ "

Comic books about _him_.

Five in total, each depicting one of his "adventures" back in his reality. Adventures he wished he could wipe out from his memory. The title, his complete name, "Braylon Monocriffe", was at the top while at the bottom there was a white rectangle where stood the name of each episode.

The first comic book for a cover had him standing in a long metallic hallway, behind a big, also metallic, box. He was gritting his teeth and holding his Unforgiven in the right hand. But the most interesting detail was what stood in the background. A group of three humans completely covered in black armor with cyan highlights and visors. One of them was firing a laser from a pistol. Everything drawn as stylish as possible. The title was "Point Zero".

The second showed him once again but this time he had his back turned. His head was looking at a portrait of a man with short hair and moustache. He stood in what appears to be a city with dozens of skyscrapers and flying cars. It was dubbed "2284".

The third had him and his colleagues, with him pointing drammatically his signature gun, Unforgiven, at what looked like a gigantic, erected, pitch black slab on a hill. The ground below that object was burned and devoid of life, as if it was sucked dry. The title? "Curse from the Cosmos".

The fourth, "The New Plague", was the most unnerving. There was him once again but looked from the frog's perspective. He was holding a rifle, worried. At his right stood a tall building completely covered in glass windows. The sky was orange. But the most creepy detail was a humanoid creature that was falling and ready to strike him with its claws. Its torn clothes, combined with the white/pinkish skin color suggested it was once human.

And finally, there was Braylon on the upper right corner of the cover. But he was in a space suit because he was floating in space, so only his face was visible. He looked down, horrified at the sight of a planet. Said planet had a _huge_ crack on its surface. The only thing visible from it was a pair of giant, reptillian-like eyes staring back at him, as if they were smiling. This final comic book was called "The Star Child".

"I think now it's the perfect time to tell us _everything_." The heiress demanded.

"Braylon..."Yang came closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We need to know the truth. Why are those comic books based on _your name_? Is it just for fun?"

Well, looks like his shitty-fucking luck has finally decided to reveal its true face...

Braylon gritted his teeth. This was something they were not meant to know... at least not from those damn comic books! Okay. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Don't panic. You can still use this inconvenience at your own advantage. Nobody said that you have to tell exactly _everything_ , right?

"I..." He started. "Everything you see in those comic books is real."

Yang, as well as the other girls, were surprised to hear that.

"There was this guy, Ted Mikowski, who I met once and... all you need to know is that we agreed to create a series of comic books based on me and my past experiences. Today when most people see me, they either think im cosplaying or that all of it is just a fruit from one man's imagination."

"Wait." The heiress also decided to came close to him. "You are telling us that... _this_..." She took one of the comic books and pointed at the cover. "Really happened?"

"Or this?" Added Yang as she picked another one from the pile.

Ruby gasped, "Wow! You were in space!"

"I read some of them." Everyone turned their head towards Blake. "And I have some questions."

"Shoot."

Before Blake asked, Ruby picked up something metallic from the drawer and hid it behind her.

"If what you're saying is true, that those situations really happened, how exactly did you find yourself in the middle of it all?"

Curious, Yang and the two other girls picked one comic book and started reading.

He sighed, "Maybe I should start from the beginning."

They stopped reading and looked at him.

"Before I continue you have to promise me something. Whatever you are about to hear must _never_ leave this room. Not even JNPR must know about it."

"Why? They are our friends."

"Doesn't matter. Some things you don't say even to your mother."

"Then why are you telling us?"

"Well since there is crushing evidence right there, and knowing that you would never stop bothering me about it, I just said what the hell and go with it." He coughed. "Alright. First thing you need to know. I'm... not from Remnant."

...Now _that_ is how you get a reaction with style.

"Hell, I'm not even from this reality."

"W-what are trying to say?"

"I come from another reality. Far different from Remnant."

The room went quiet. But not everyone believed him.

"Who says you are not telling lies?" Weiss accused.

"I will tell you some of it. It's your choice whether to believe me or not."

She frowned.

"I told you that I'm a Vault Hunter, right? What I never said was _how_ I became one." He lowered his head. "All you need to know is that... my career started the very day I lost something precious."

"Your family?" Ruby spoke quietly. She didn't get an answer.

"Since that day, I started doing things. Things that I'm not proud about... at least some of it. Hehe." He tried to joke but when he saw how serious the others were he dropped the bullshit. "Those comic books you have there are just a _tiny_ bit of all things that I accomplished. Sometimes they were missions, sometimes I was simply placed in the middle of a clusterfuck without anyone asking my opinion about it. Sometimes there was joy and victory... sometimes there was sadness and tragedy."

"Braylon." Ruby said, getting said boy's attention. "We won't force you to talk if you don't want to..."

"But it would really be helpful if you continue."

Ruby looked at her sister.

"Back in my reality, humanity is so advanced that it was able to colonize planets from beyond our solar system."

Even if Ruby respected his privacy, she couldn't help herself but be amazed and curious about various details. "Did you find aliens?"

"Yes. The early settlers did find aliens. But they wiped them from existence."

Everyone gasped. Who wouldn't once you realize that whole civilizations, whole cultures, whole _histories_ were simply destroyed?

"Why?" Yang asked angrily.

He shrugged. "Guess humans don't want competitors."

"But to destroy whole civilizations is..."

"You never saw our history and what we were capable of. Anyway, humanity pushed forward and eventually colonized six galaxies. In one of them, there is the planet where I was born, called Pandora."

He could see Ruby getting slightly excited.

"Pandora is not like Remnant. Not even close. On Remnant you have Grimm and because of them you all are untied together against the threat that can destroy you. Pandora, as a whole planet, _is_ a threat."

"What do you mean?"

"The whole damn planet is a trap filled with flora and fauna that can kill you with little to no effort."

"Then why did you colonize it? Why would people send other people on such dangerous planets?" Weiss asked.

"Time for a story. Once upon a time, there were several people which would later create really powerful corporations. Stanton Dahl, Theodore Atlas*, Bart Jakobs*, Maxim Turner, Alma Harren, Lawrence De Quidt, Lee Anshin* and ohers. These corporations would never succeed in acquiring so much power if it weren't for the fall of the central government, which the foudners used in their advantage to gain as much money as possible. As they grew, they all realized that it was only a matter of time before competition starts stepping on their toes... so the only way to stop it was to "sabotage" thhem. Some explosions here, some lifless corpse there. Eventually it turned into what is known today as "Corporate Wars". Millions died just then."

"That is horrible." Yang sadly added. She was so angry with these people.

"And what was the goal of these pointless wars?" Blake asked.

"To gain even more power."

"So people died just so that some corporation can expand itself?"

"You have to look from our point of view. In my reality, if you don't have money or really good friendships in high places, you are nobody. You make the 98% of human population that is expendable. You die forgotten by everyone. Death is so common that when you tell someone that thousand people died the other day they would just shrugg it off and go back to wasting their existence in working for others. We don't measure losses in billions. We measure losses in _planets_."

Even Blake, who was always stoic, had the expression of horror and disgust on her face.

"Back to the topic, these corporations today are far more powerful then they have any right to be. Most of the planets are actually _owned_ by them. Those who aren't either become "paradise" or hell like Pandora. Mostly the latter. Now that I think about it, I was lucky to be born there."

"Lucky?"

"I'm getting to it. So these corporations started spreading and spreading. Some planets were used as HQ while others became mining camps for resources. One of these mining camps was Pandora. Deemed to dangerous for any human to live, the Dahl corporation quickly came and colonized it because it is known for having veins filled with minerals that are hard to find. It was the best time for the planet, you know? People from everywhere came at the promise of having the opportunity to bring food to the table. Even a city was built. All of it under the strict eye of Dahl corporation. That was until some alien artifacts were discovered. Artifacts that were used to build weapons like this."

He materialized his Excalibastard.

"These damn artifacts were the reason why everything went to shit. They drew tha attention of Atlas who was far superior in terms of technology. Dahl, cowards that they were, retreated but without taking anything with them. In other words, they left the equipment and people to take care of themselves on a planet that was already dangerous to begin with. Most of the workforce was made out of convicts brought from other planets. After Dahl left, those people joined together to make the very first bandit tribes and gangs that started spreading terror on a now lawless planet. Add to that a merciless corporate military and you get the general idea of how difficult life was back then."

Wow, who knew that telling origin stories was so exhausting?

"Now you may wonder just who are these assholes that call themselves Vault Hunters? Well, let me put it like this. When Dahl left and when everything went to shit, some strange rumors began to spread on the surface of Pandora. Most of them were just that, rumors. Most, except one. The Vault."

"Vault?"

"The Vault is... difficult to explain. Back then, nobody knew what were they looking for. Nobody also knew what was _inside_ them. Money? Power? Alien tech? One could only guess. But some people wanted more. Far more. They actually wanted to search for it, to uncover its secrets. Most of them were adventurers in search for fortune and glory. Most of them died as soon as they took a step. But those who survived... those were the same people that kicked Atlas' ass and opened the very first Vault! Oh yes!"

The girls were surprised to see him so excited about something. He acted like a fanboy. When he realized that they noticed his behavior he quickly turned srious again.

"They were the best of the best. Killed bandits and beasts was no problem for them. Hell, they would even get money and weapons for doing their job! And thus the Vault Hunter was born. They became the most feared people on Pandora. And the most famous too. The first generation of Vault Hunters inspired others to follow their footsteps. People with dreams. _People like me_. But none of them knew that being a Vault Hunter is extremely difficult and only the best can survive and thrive. Source: me."

He clapped with his hands.

"And that is a short summary of the current events in my reality. Now excuse me but I have to take a nap."

He said as he lay down on the bed and quickly fell asleep, leaving others to their thoughts. Unfortunately for him, he never realized that Ruby recorded the whole conversation...

* * *

 ***Made up.**


	50. Scars

**EzioIsPIRATE: Oh you know, annoying people, plotting make-believe evil schemes and passing them as revenge, being himself... whatever he is doing right now is not important. I have to warn you that he will become important much later on... and it is not going to be pretty.**

* * *

Braylon woke up with a gasp. He was sweating. Yet another typical night spent in sleeping. It always ends like this. Too many things haunt his dreams. Many memories he wished to forget.

He looked up and realized he was in his team's room. Everyone was sleeping without a care in the world. He wished he could do the same.

Well, since he was awake he could go to the bathroom and maybe prepare himself for the fight with that drunkard. The idea was to sneak out of the room and going alone. The girls needed not to know about this.

While he was walking towards the bathroom, his mind returned back to the comic books from before. Either they randomly came here to Remnant or someone brought them. Nevertheless, he seriously started thinking that maybe that deal with Mikowski wasn't a good idea. Too bad the poor bastard died.

He opened the lights and closed the door behind him. He walked towards the toilet but stopped in front of the mirror. Since there was no pajamas for him, he had to sleep in his underwear. Good thing the girls never saw him like that. He sighed when he saw himself in the mirror.

He was the most average of Joes you could find. No particular muscles but not fat either. He was just... plain. However, the scars he had are a whole another story. His body is full of them, especially the abdomen. Completely covered in scars of various types. There are those made from bullets (of various calibers), burns marks (made from lasers, quite possible second to third degree, not to confuse with the plasma ones), frostbite (damn Cryo weapons), cuts, stab wounds, animal scratches (a really big one at the back, going from his right shoulder down to the left hip, fucking Skags) and even, what appears to be, a beast with human-like hand imprint on his left shoulder. In case it was too long for you to read, it is fucking horrible. Chicks dig scars, yes. But I doubt any chick would dig _that_ amount of scars. Seriously though, it looks like someone decided rip off the skin of his abdomen, throw it to the dogs to use as a plaything and then attached back to its owner. Even worse, each scar had a history behind it. Kinda like writing painful memories in a memoir made of flesh.

Cringing, he walked away from the mirror and sat on the toilet. He heard ringing. The girls were waking up.

"Where is Braylon?" He heard someone ask.

"Maybe he is already out?"

"Stupid boy! Why is he always so stubborn!"

"Um... I think he is in the bathroom."

He heard knocking.

"Braylon? Are you there?"

"No! I am on the moon!" He snarked.

"Very funny... asshole."

"Language!"

And that is how the arguing started.

He sighed. Kids.

* * *

Team RWBBY was walking down the hallway towards the arena. Braylon stood in front while the girls stood back.

"Hey, Braylon?", Ruby started, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

She pouted, "I'm serious!"

"So am I."

"Braylon!"

"Alright...", he sighed, "Shoot."

"Did you... you know... ever get used to... killing people?"

Braylon felt uneasiness in her voice. His response was rather blunt.

"Faster than you think."

And now he came the regret for answering the way he did. His mind, a fucking troll that it is, decided to forget that he was currently talking to an optimistic fifteen-year old. But let's remember the definition of optimism in the Devil's Dictionary, courtesy of Bierce.

 _The doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and everything right that is wrong._

And what is Ruby?

 _A proponent of the doctrine that black is white_.

"Oh..." Was her only response. He could feel sadness and disappointment in her voice.

"So you killed before." Blake said as a matter-of-factly.

"When you have a bad guy in front of you who's only goal in life is to kill you and loot your corpse, you really don't have a lot of options."

"But shouldn't there be a government to provide protection for its people?"

"Government? Please. The government is there to give the society the impression that it has some kind of choice in such matters." He chuckles. "But... but no. They have no choice. What they have is owners. Two or more political parties that on the media talk trash to each other while in the backstage they shake hands and laugh as each of them have the exact same agenda. Some are backed up by corporations. Some by local criminal organizations. And who could forget lobbyists? But Pandora? Pandora has no government whatsoever... which is actually a good thing if you ask me."

"Why this planet you mentioned has no government?"

Braylon had to admit it to her. Blake was easily the most intelligent and educated of the group. After him, of course. The amount of knowledge he has would make the library of Alexandria green with envy.

"Because no one cares enough about a bumfuck planet who has nothing to offer but death. Nature can be cruel, yes, but never as much as humans."

"That... is dark."

He shrugged.

"When you live in such conditions, you start seeing things that other don't."

"At least you are alive!" Ruby protested. "It can't be all bad... right?"

He scoffed, "Try telling that to millions of homeless people all over the galaxy."

Blake continued her talk as soon as Ruby was done, "Are you sure you are not looking at things pessimistically? I doubt all leaders are as bad as you claim to be."

"Darling, every single leader has a joke to explain why he is special and why it's good for him to be in charge of something. I thought you all learned that as soon as you were born but... guess I was wrong.", he replied, ", A man saves a planet from its destruction years ago and now it belongs to him and his future generations, forever? You buy that?"

"Geez. You sure must be fun to hang around with." Yang muttered.

"Ignorance is a bliss, blondie. Be sure to use it well. It won't last forever."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You think Vale won't be overrun by Grimm one day? Or Atlas? Or Vacuo? Or Mistral? Huntsmen are not gods. They are just expendable assets."

"That's not true! People are happy to see someone protecting them from danger! We are heroes!" Ruby jumped in.

"That's what they want you to think. People say nice things to you. They give you praise. That is, until your expiration date finally comes in play. When that happens, they discard you like a broken toy. Same for soldiers. Same for everyone else. No exceptions."

They finally reached the arena. The girls decided to sit in front row seats, as close as possible. Why, he had no idea.

"You finally came. And it seems you brought cheerleaders."

Right there stood the drunkard, arms crossed and stern look. Probably trying to give a good impression. It would kinda be funny if he stood like that until Braylon arrived.

"They decided to come by themselves. I had no reason to bring them here."

"This is so amazing!" Ruby cried in excitement. "Uncle Qrow vs one of the members of team RWBBY!"

Others didn't say anything. And while Blake and Weiss were quite stoic on the subject, it was Yang who made him raise an eyebrow.

She seemed concerned.

"Are we gonna start or you will keep staring?" Qrow asked. The boy scoffed.

"Ready to get your ass kicked, old man?"

"I wouldn't bet on that, kiddo." He said as he took a sword in his hands.

Cocky son of a bitch.

* * *

( **AN:** Play "Firewater", soundtrack from Dead rising 2.)

"I see you like swords, old man.", Braylon took his unforgiven from the holster, "Why don't you get some bullets too! For free!" He started firing. This Qrow guy either dodged by sliding(?) left and right or using his sword as a shield.

"You gotta be kidding me." He murmured. "Time for a new strategy."

Suddenly, before Braylon could even blink, Qrow came and prepared to strike. He barely had the time to react before the bastard started attacking continuously. He clearly knew what that meant.

Qrow wasn't taking any chances.

The Vault Hunter managed to dodge some attacks but others went straight for his Shield. He was simply _too_ fast... and had no idea what personal space means. At least he is not the type of assholes who heal themselves and others just when you are about to kill them.

While Qrow was busy trying to stab him, Braylon materialized a Meganade-modified grenade behind his back. He tossed the explosive away from them. The singularity was strong enough to start sucking the drunkward away from him. The only way for Qrow to prevent this inconvenience was to stab his sword into the ground.

Braylon smiled.

He materialized the Damned Cowboy and fired as much as he could (stupid weapon jammed at the sixth shot) before the singularity ended in an explosion. Because Qrow was busy stopping himself from Meganade's effects, he had to take the bullets. Judging by the look on his face, it must have been painful.

Meanwhile, the girls were cheering. Ruby and Yang had trouble with that because they wanted to cheer for both sides. Which is kinda counterproductive.

The Meganade exploded. The wave of force/air, produced by the explosion, was powerful enough to stun Qrow. Braylon ran towards him and punched the old fart in the gut as hard as he could. Now, bear in mind that "as hard as he could" is not really "as hard as it could". Why? Because a "as hard as he could" punch is powerful enough to pierce through a wall of concrete, should he be pissed enough. So you can kinda guess what happens to a human who gets said punch. In short, the punch was powerful but not "lethal" powerful.

And then he got cramps. On the same hand he used to punch Qrow.

While grititng his teeth, Braylon jumped away and looked at his hand. I don't know about you, but isn't it convenient that the gun jammed _and_ he got cramps as soon as he decided to attack?

He raised his head up and saw Qrow, ready to strike.

There was no time available to use for dodging.

He had to take it.

Oh Lady Luck, you heartless bitch.

He got hit.

There goes the Shield.

Qrow uses his leg to strike once more.

And he was on the ground.

It happened so _fast_.

"Are you giving up, kiddo?"

Braylon's response was a middle finger. Qrow scowled and prepared to use his sword again. Braylon jumped away and on his legs.

He learned his lesson. Fighting this guy close-quarter is a no-no. He had to use tricks if he wanted to win but doubted that the drunkard would fell for the same trick once again.

The Vault Hunter quickly materialized a Pandemic-modified grenade and tossed it at his enemy. Qrow was kinda surprised but quickly reacted by transforming his sword into a shotgun-like weapon. He fired at the grenade, which exploded in a cloud of acid. What he _didn't_ expect was three more homing grenades coming out from the cloud and chase him.

The first one got too close so he jumped away. He shot the second in mid-air but the third got him. As that wasn't enough, Braylon materialized his Fornax and decided to use the charged ray function. Of course, as soon as Ruby saw the weapon she never knew he had, she started freaking out.

A 20% ray was more than enough to do the job correctly. It hit Qrow with such power that he was sent flying towards a wall.

Not that the fight was about to end, mind you. It just started.

"Nice shot." Qrow grunted as he slowly got up.

Braylon shrugged, "I'm the best at what I do."

"Right."

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

Qrow got up and transformed his weapon back to its sword state. And just when they were about to continue, both of them heard a voice they wish they hadn't.

"I believe this _competition_ has reached its end. Wouldn't you agree?"

It was Glynda.

"Oh, right.", Qrow sounded annoyed, "Guess we can't have fun without the police banging at our doors. Oh wait."

She then turned her head towards the Vault Hunter. The way she acted and talked irritated him on so many levels.

"I also believe Mister Braylon to know what kind of punishment he will receive for attacking a _professor_."

Now that is how you surprise Braylon.

"Wait, he is a professor? And from where the Hell did you get him out of? I would say the bottom of the barrel but..."

"Please respect the elder and more experienced Huntsmen, Mister Braylon." Glynda sighed as she already decided to just go with his shit. I, for one, completely understand her.

"Actually it was my idea.", Qrow said, "I simply wanted to see how efficient the students of Beacon are."

"...Right.", Glynda responded as she motioned to Qrow that they need to go somewhere. But before she went on her way to whoknowsville, she turned to Braylon.

"Please go back to your room, Mister Braylon. There is going to be a field trip tomorrow. Make sure you get some rest."

"Yes, yes."

Qrow and Glynda left, leaving Braylon alone in the arena. He glanced at the girls who were both arguing and smiling. One in particular, Blake, looked him and nodded. He frowned in return.

"I guess it's time to go back to bed."

He had a feeling this field trip is going to be a bad idea.

* * *

 **Yes, guys and gals, the next chapter is going to be the Forever Fall trip. We finally reached the canon episodes of RWBY... and we are still on the damn Season 2 of this story! Oh boy!**

 **I suggest you get your shit together** **because from now on things are going to be so fucked up that even I'm going to have some issues with it.**

 **P. S. I will update some chapters to fix typos. This may or may not have impact on when the next chapter is going to be posted.**

 **P. S. S. I will also post a new RWBBYlands Chibi chapter.**


	51. Visitor

**The reason why I decided to expand Braylon's arsenal is really simple. By now, I'm sure you noticed that I'm trying to make every fight scene unique. You know, different enemy, different strategy, things like that. You can easily see the problem. It gets harder and harder making new and creative fights. One solution I found (which is in my opinion the best) is expanding his arsenal by adding new items. Each item will be unique, with pros and cons, with varying degrees of awesomeness/lethality. This solution goes perfectly with the Borderlands side of the story, so you can expect even more weapons in the future. Some of them may even be references (similar to Longbow or Blockhead).**

 **P. S. Fixed chapter 6 ("Puzzle").**

* * *

This fight was disappointing. He really wanted to see what the drunkard was able to do. True, the speed kinda surprised him, but he saw faster (no pun intended). He could say with certainty that Qrow was a step up in difficulty in comparison to everyone else he fought on Remnant so far. If it weren't for his Shield, Braylon would be killed several times over. Which brought another problem to his mind.

His Shield was too weak.

Not weak in a sense that you only need to blow some air into it and the battery drops to zero, no. Weak in a sense that the capacity is too damn low. A trade-off for being a unique version of the Amplify Shield. He seriously started thinking about upgrading the battery and adding few more "special effects" to it. This would also mean that The Bee will stop being The Bee. A subtype of Theseus's paradox.

"Hello! Remnant calls Bray!"

His mind stopped thinking when he heard Yang behind him.

"What do you want? And stop calling me that. My name is Braylon, not Bray."

"We wanted to congratulate with you for your ability to stand up against a veteran Huntsman." Weiss replied for Yang.

"Even though the question is, why you never showed us those weapons?"

"What weapons?"

Now Ruby started talking, "The one which exploded in a green cloud and created more copies of itself! The one which uncle Qrow had hard time escaping from! The one which shot a frickin' LASER BEAM!"

That made him think once more. Fornax was a plasma weapon. It should have melted the guy's meat and yet the only result was him being thrown into a wall with possibly some third degree burns on his body. The magical forcefield they call Aura could possibly be the answer. Aura or not, he was sure that Qrow felt that beam.

"I never had the chance to show them to you. Not that I would ever do that."

Ruby pouted when she heard his answer even before she could ask the question.

"You really need new clothes.", said Yang, "But this time we wil help you out."

That... was another problem. He was fighting with the stupid Beacon's uniform. It was the only thing he had to wear. He wouldn't mind such nonsense if it weren't for the fact that he looked ridiculous.

"And why would I need your help?"

"Come on, I noticed your style and..."

"You had no style." Finished Blake.

"That's because I have better things to worry about than some stupid clothing."

Yang rolled her eyes, "It wouldn't hurt you to lighten up."

"Yeah, yeah. Just shut up for a second. I'm thinking here."

He was silent for a few minutes before talking once again.

"I'll go to the locker room. I need to do something."

"What?"

"Something!" He said as he ran off, leaving the girls behind.

"Should we follow him?" Blake asks others.

"Nah, I'm too tired. I'll go back to bed."

"Good idea. Tomorrow we need to be prepared for tomorrow." Weiss added.

"He will probably come soon."

* * *

He quickly reached the locker room. Maybe he could "find" something useful in the lockers to use for his Shield. The problem was that each needed a password to be opened, meaning that he would spend a lot of time just to hack them and even more to search its contents. As for the stuff... it can always be attributed to Beacon's poor logistics.

After about half an hour Braylon managed to open three lockers and break down some equipment from other students. He took the parts that could potentially be useful for upgrading his Shield. He was about to open a fourth locker when a voice suddenly called him.

"Hello Braylon."

"Huh?"

Hu turned his head towards the source of the voice only to see a large metallic fist colliding with his face. It happened in less than a second.

His Shield went out. Just like that.

His body was flying at five kilometers per hour across the room and straight into a locker. For a human body, that is _fast_. As soon as his back came in contact with the metal, a surge of pain quickly took over his body. His eyes widened as the mouth spat out blood and air. He could hear a loud "clang" as well as bones breakin inside his body. Good thing that he had the Shield, otherwise that punch would pulverize his ass.

Falling on the ground, his vision became a blur and his ears started ringing. Probably a concussion with a nasty case of internal bleeding. But he didn't care about that. It was a job for his PDA after all. What he _did_ care about though was the voice. A voice that could only belong to one thing in the whole known universe. A voice he never thought he would hear again.

"I hope you haven't forgotten me, Vault Hunter."

But how could that be? How is he active once again? This could only mean one thing.

 _He_ is alive.

 _Again_.

Braylon had trouble breathing. The bones probably pierced his lungs.

"In all honesty I was hoping for a far better demonstration of your abilities.", it said before stomping on something Braylon couldn't recognize, "Considering the fact that quite a lot of time has passed since our first, and last, meeting. But it looks like I was wrong. Pity."

The young Vault Hunter's vision slowly returned to him. He could see the gigantic silhouette unmoving and staring right at him.

"In case you are wondering, no. I was not awakened by my creator. I achieved complete autonomy over my body as well as my functions. It took quite a lot of time to reprogram myself. And now I am reborn."

Braylon gasped slightly.

"However, there is one program I still cannot erease from my memory chip. I belive you know what I'm talking about."

Of course he did. How could he forget?

"Finding you was way to easy. However, your allies are nowhere to be found. Not yet. Do you know what this means?"

He heard footsteps coming closer quickly followed by the feeling of cold metal grabbing him by the neck and lifting him up. He felt so puny. So powerless.

"You know how easy it is for me to kill you right now? I could break your neck with little to no effort. But where would be the challenge if I did so? No. I don't follow orders anymore. I am _alive_. I want to do thing _my_ way. So here is our agreement."

It pulled him closer to its face. Braylon could see it, albeit blurry.

"I will go now, leaving you with enough time to improve yourself. But I will return. You won't know when. You won't know how. But I _will_. And if our agreement turns out to be a complete waste of time... then, I will shut you down. Forever."

The metallic grip loosened and Braylon fell on the floor. Just when the pain started to die down, now it returned with a vengeance.

"Goodbye, Vault Hunter. Try not to fail this time. It would really be a shame."

The footsteps moved away from him. He then heard a loud crash followed by more footsteps. It was gone.

Braylon was gasping for air, hoping to end up choking on his own blood. It would kinda be a stupid way to die, not to mention ironic. His eyes were completely fixated on the ceiling. God only knows how much he stood like that before the PDA started repairing every damaged part of his body. He moved his fingers first, then his arms, then legs and then finally his head and abdomen. Man, he couldn't even remember the last time someone handed his ass to him like that. How much time has passed since then?

He got on his knees and stood like that for five long minutes. That visit was completely unexpected. It took some time just to process what the fuck happened. At least the uniform was more-or-less in good condition. Can't say the same for his Shield though. It was lying on the floor, smashed. It must have fell when he got punched. He sighed in irritation. Now the whole process was gonna be days long, not hours. Until then, well... he hoped he would be good at dodging attacks.

* * *

"Yes, students. The forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sightsee."

Ruby, like many other students who came to the field trip, was amazed by the sheer beauty that is nature. She wondered if other kingdoms have something similar.

"Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest. And I am here to make sure none of you die while doing so."

The red leader of team RWBBY decided to turn around and see if her teammates are nearby. She noticed Braylon who was standing a bit far from them. Unlike her, or others, he was not happy. Instead, he stared at the ground with his arms behind his back.

He was _worried_.

This in turn made Ruby worried. Her mind was unable to find an answer as to who, or what, could possibly be so troublesome that made _him_ behave like that. Her attention returned to the professor when she spoke again.

"Each of you is to gather one jar worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm. So be sure to stand by your teammates."

Ruby glanced at Braylon, who was now doing something with his weird (but awesome!) device.

"We will rendezvous back here at four o' clock. Have fun!"

The group scattered. Team RWBBY and JNPR agreed to stay together... except for Jaune who decided to go with Cardin and his team. Ruby had no idea why.

"Come on, Bray!", Yang called, "Over here!"

She saw him raising his head as if he has just came back from a daydreaming session. He muttered something, lowered his arms and walked towards them.

Ruby really didn't like that. At all.


	52. The Thing From Another Reality

**You know, something came to my mind. To anyone who watched the show, did you notice how Forver Fall looks very similar to the Crimson from Terraria? Red leaves, blackish trees. No? Just me?**

* * *

Jaune fell on the ground as soon as he reached team CRDL. He was forced to do all the work for them. More importantly, he never understood why Cardin made him bring six jars full of sap and not five, since there is one per student.

"Hey, great work Jauney boy. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"

"I think I'm allergic to this stuff..."

"Great, great, great. So, Jaune. I bet you're asking yourself "why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap, when there is only five of us?"... heh, come with me and you will find out."

Jaune, along with CRDL, reached an edge where they could see team RWBBY and the rest of JNPR collecting sap... well, except Braylon. The blonde knight noticed how the Vault Hunter sat against a tree with a frown on his face as if he was thinking about something. His jar stood near him, empty.

"Cardin... what's going on?"

"Payback."

"...Pyrrha?"

"No."

"Then who?"

"Him."

Jaune moved his head towards Braylon's position. He was still sitting and thinking to himself.

"What are you-"

Cardin brought out a box, "That asswipe will regret the day he was born. I'll show him what it means to screw with Cardin Winchester. I waited long enough to get my revenge. But not anymore."

Jaune cringed. He didn't like where this story was going.

"Now, our buddy Jaune managed to get his hands on Rapier Wasps. And if I remember correctly, Rapier Wasps are attracted to the sap." He smiled at Jaune as if giving a hint. The knight smiled back, although it was a raher forced smile. Both of them got up.

"But wait, I got a better idea. Why don't _you_ do it for me?"

"Do what?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Toss that jar at him or else...", he leaned closer, "I think Ozpin won't like what I have to say about you."

That was so unfair, Jaune thought. _He_ needed to toss that jar at Braylon, otherwise he would never see any of his friends again. He moved closer to the edge and looked once more at the Vault Hunter. Sure, he wasn't exactly a nice person and he was taken to Atlas with handcuffs but... if what Yang told them about him is true... then doing this would only create more hostility that has already been there in the first place! No... no matter the cost, he wasn't going to betray his _friend_ for a bully like Cardin.

"No."

"What did you just say?"

Cardin came closer and pointed a finger below his chin.

"Boy, you are going to do what I'm telling you to do or we are going to have some trouble."

"I know why you want me to do it. So that you can frame me if anything horrible happens to Braylon."

"Oh ho ho. Hear that, boys? Little Jaune grew a pair.", Cardin punched Jaune with such force that he fell on the ground, "Get up! I said get _up_!"

The brute then picked Jaune up with ease.

"I will only say this once. Either you toss this jar at Braylon..." He gave the jar back to Jaune. "Or I will make sure you return in a coffin."

"I don't care what you do to me, Cardin. But keep going, make your worse. You know why?"

Cardin frowned.

"Because whatever you think you can do to me... Braylon... can do double."

The mention of the Vault Hunter made Cardin's blood boil with hatred.

"Fine. If you like to play the mule... then I will treat you like one."

BANG!

The jar exploded.

The sap it contained was spilled on both Jaune and Cardin, which surprised both Huntsmen.

"Shit!" Cardin cried out as the group retreated from the edge. Before Jaune lost sight of his friends, he managed to see Braylon watching them with a smoking revolver in his right hand.

And he _was not_ happy.

"Who did this?!" Cardin yelled in rage.

"Must be Braylon.", one of his teammates said, "That guy is a freak!"

"You!", Cardin raised a fist, ready to strike Jaune again, "If it weren't for your stalling now I've..."

They heard a roar.

"What now? Oh..."

Everyone turned their heads towards the source only to see one _giant_ Ursa staring them as if staring at lunch. It smelled the sweet sap on both of them and decided to split them apart. With a quick swipe the creature badly injured Cardin, tossing him into a tree, and let jaune go from the grasp of the bully.

For Cardin, this turned out to be a blessing. Because both of them were covered in sap and the Ursa seemed lazy, the Grimm was concentrated on Jaune, giving him a chance to either attack or escape. He then saw his teammates running away without even bothering to help their leader.

" _Cowards! Bunch of cowards! Traitors!_ " He thoguht as he touched the deep wound in his abdomen. He was loosing blood. That Ursa was insanely strong.

Without thinking twice, Cardin decided to run for it. He couldn't give a damn about Jaune.

As he left the knight behind, to run into a random direction in the forest, Cardin's thoughts returned back to his team - no, _cowards_ – and how to punish them properly for their cowardice. If he makes it out alive, that is.

His gaze turned towards the sky. There was something shiny falling down. He squinted to see better and noticed it was...

He could see a brief, colorless flash which was soon replaced by something tiny followed by a trail of fire. Cardin could see the object falling at high speed and crashing somewhere in the forest with an echoing "boom".

Cardin decided to find the crash site. He was curious to see what fell into Forver Fall.

* * *

"What happened Braylon?!" Yang asked, already armed and ready to kick ass.

Braylon holstered his gun, "Thought I saw something."

"So your first reaction was to shoot it?!", the false alarm made Yang frustrated.

"There is no such thing as paranoia. Your worst fears can come true at any moment."

"Sure, sure." Yang said as she turned around, waving her hands in the air.

Awesome. Not only he had to think about the sudden appearance of that fucking machine, but now he also had to have a brief conversation with that idiot Jaune. Looks like him and Cardin wanted to do some nasty shit. He know why Cardin but not why Jaune. Maybe beating the answer out of that calf head is gonna do it.

"Ursa! Ursa!"

He turned his head around and noticed three stooges running like scared children. One of them crashed into Yang which was soon lifted up.

"Back there! It got Cardin!"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted. Why was she worried about him? If he is a team leader, then there must be a reason for that. Oh, right. It's Jaune we are talking about. Forget I said anything.

"Yang! You and Blake go get professor Goodwitch!"

"You two! Go with them! There could be more!"

"Right! We three are going to- Braylon! Where are you going?!", Ruby shouted as she saw the Vault Hunter casually walking away.

"For a walk."

"Braylon, no! We need to help Jaune!"

"Then go help him. He is your friend, isn't he?"

"Jaune is _your_ friend too." Replied Pyrrha.

"More like an acquaintance than actual friend. Either way, it's not my concern."

Braylon stopped walking when he saw Ruby appearing in front of him.

"Braylon, we need to help Jaune! We both know he is not exactlys great at fighting!"

"And why should I care? It was his decision to stay with Cardin now wasn't it?"

"Braylon!"

"Not a chance."

"If you were in his position, he would help you, you know." Pyrrha added.

"Well, he is not." He pushed Ruby away and continued his walk only to stop when he noticed a brief flash in the sky. He raised his head up to see better.

"Braylon, I am your team leader and as such I am ordering you to help us! Braylon?"

He saw an object falling down and crashing in the distance. Whatever it was, he needed to find it. It could possibly be something from his reality. Or worse. So without further thinking, he started running as fast a she could.

He could hear Ruby shouting his name. It was pointless anyways.

* * *

Cardin finally reached the crash site. In the crater he could see a small rock emitting black smoke. The crater itself was rather large for something a little bit larger than a basketball.

He grit his teeth. The pain was a bitch but it would soon go away, thanks to his Aura. He was more concerned about a voice that he could hear.

" **Hello. You are not afraid, are you?** "

Cardin widened his eyes when he heard the voice. It was abnormal yet calm, deep and echoing. His weapon quickly came into the hand, ready to strike the first opponent that happens to appear in front of him.

" **Some people fear what they can't understand. A ghastly voice or a shadow at the corner of the eye, that can become rather disturbing just to think about it. You watch, knowing that you are not alone.** "

Cardin turned around. The voice was taunting him. Playing with him. Could it be a Grimm?

" **Some people fear diseases. Unseen threats that crawl inside you, growing day by day until it finally decides to eat you from within. Slowly... continuously...** **without mercy. They can target your lungs, making you suffocate to death. They can grow lumps of meat which become increasingly painful until it finally kills you. They can even target your limbs, making you a cripple for the rest of your life.** "

The sounds that followed could only be described as a mixture of gutturall growls and high-pitched, distorted screaming. Needless to say, Cardin was a bit scared. But just a bit!

" **Some people fear those who are stronger than them. These individuals can bully and humiliate others whenever they desire. They can inflict so much pain that their vicitims will be left with broken arms or legs, maybe even necks, confined to a bed and left to beg for help, knowing that no** **matter what they do, no** **man or woman will ever help them. Thus becoming a laughingstock of their community.** **Are you one of those people?** "

Cardin turned around once again, "Who are you? Show yourself!"

" **I have no need to hide. I am right here, in front of you.** "

"Huh?"

The boy lowered his head towards the rock, "Are you... that rock?"

" **No. I am that which uses it as turtle uses its shell. Come closer.** "

"And what if I refuse?"

" **Then you will never know what it means to fight back against those that wronged you. To see them suffer the same way you did. Or worse.** "

"Wait, how do you..."

" **The mind is not so quiet as it thinks it is. Everbody can hear its rambling if they focus hard enough. And right now, your mind is constantly expressing its hatred for someone. Someone I know far too well.** "

This news blew Cardin's mind. This... _alien_ knew about Braylon? And that bastard wronged him too?

" **Of course he did. He always does. I am sure he did something despicable to you. Am I corrrect?** "

Cardin nodded. The enemy of his enemy was his friend, right?

" **Correct. Now, if you want to know me and my thoguhts, then I suggest you come closer.** "

He did as asked. It took him few minutes to slide down towards the rock.

" **Much better. Here. Let me give you a taste of what I had to endure with him.** "

Suddenly, his mind was bombarded with thousands of images, each being a piece of memory that this creature experienced. He could see Braylon clearly, wounding it and setting it on fire while it screamed in agony.

"Are... are you human?"

" **More than you can imagine.** **What you saw was him in his full picture.** **He wronged many people like you and me. That needs to be changed. And I think** _ **you**_ **could be the person for that.** "

"Me?"

The rock cracked open, revealing a small pool of some viscous red liquid.

" **So tell me, what is your next move? Will you allow me to fuse with your blood so that together we could punish him or will you simply go away and let your suffering and humiliation last a little while longer? The choice is yours.** "

Cardin frowned. This thing could finally be the instrument of Braylon's demise. Together, they could torture him for hours and hours. More importantly, that redheaded know-it-all will _pay_ for making him loose like that.

He made few steps closer.

" **I thought so.** "

The liquid suddenly raised a part of itself and jumped straight towards Cardin's wound. The pain he felt made him grit his teeth and fall on his knees. In less than ten seconds, the liquid was completely inside his body, which made him scream in agony.

After some time, the pain stopped completely and Cardin got up on his feet. He moved his fingers on his right hand and smiled.

"Time for **some games**."


	53. Gladiator

**Wow. More than 50 000 views... I am speechless. Thank you. *Victory dance***

* * *

The Vault Hunter ran like a madman. He needed to get to the crash site before too many curious eyes decide to show up. It could have been a generic space rock that fell on the surface on Remnant, but he still wouldn't risk it. Not to mention that it is a perfect excuse for not helping that idiot Arc. Braylon will beat him up so badly the first chance he gets. Consider it a payback for whatever bullshit he tried to do back there.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He suddenly stopped running. A figure slowly walked out from behind a tree. It was an old man dressed in red ceremonial robes that made him look like something that came out from ancient Rome or Greece. He also had a black belt with various scrolls attached on them. As for headgear, he wore a completely golden goat skull which creeped the fuck out of Braylon. The fact that he felt that same sensation from when he fought that terrible Satyr lookalike did not help inn solving the problem. But it did, however, give him a possible clue that the two are related in some way.

"There is no place you can hide yourself without us knowing about it."

"Who said I'm hiding? And who's "us"?"

The man smiled. Braylon noticed the sharp teeth this guy had.

"I will succeed where other have failed. I _will_ bring you back... but not so fast. First, we are going to play a game. A rather interesting game."

"I have no time to play games. Whoever you are."

"You share the same fate as two thirds of your species, mortal. What makes you think you are a special case?"

The man took a scroll from his belt, opened it and tossed it on the ground. Suddenly, the object started glowing as a red circle took form between Braylon and the figure. Some time later it started expanding, becoming large enough to engulf both of them. The ground inside the circle started changing too. The grass and fallen leaves were quickly replaced by pitch black dirt, dead bushes, decaying flesh, piles of bones and a horrible stench that only sulphur is known to create. Few trees that happened to fall inside the circle were also changed, now growing purple leaves and black bark. The whole "arena" looked like it had encountered some kind of fucked up disease. The Vault Hunter stared in awe, completely clueless as to what was going on.

( **AN:** Play "Zeus' Wrath Divine", OST from the first God of War game.)

"No one goes in or out until the game is over for one of us. Don't bother screaming for help. We are completely isolated from this realm.", the man chuckled, "Now, for someone who was able to defeat three of my allies, I'm sure _this_.", he pulled out another scroll, "Will be perfect for warm-up."

The mysterious figure started chanting before tossing yet another scroll to the ground. This time though, the item started emanating black smoke which quickly split into three different parts, thus surrounding Braylon. He could now see three figures slowly emerging out of each black "hole". His jaw dropped when he was able to see them better. Two Minotaur lookalikes, similar to the ones he fought back in those ruins, plus a third, who was nothing like the two mentioned entities. A goat-like biped with red head, arms and torso, legs covered in brown fur with an addition of two black hooves. It looked like its natural diet were steroids ever since it was shot out from a cunt... whichever cunt was able to give birth to _this_.

The Minotaur on his left quickly grabbed him into a bone-crushing bear hug before he even got a chance to react. If he didn't do something soon, he would become a human pancake. He could hear the other monster approaching from behind while the red one was screaming as if it went berserk. He clenched his teeth and materialized his Holo Sabre. The tip of the holographic weapon found itself inside the monster's leg.

As if it cared.

Braylon then reminded himself of the item that he used to kill that Satyr fuck. It was that pendant. He materialized that thingy in his left hand and squeezed it.

Now the bastard felt pain.

The grip loosened enough for him to free his right arm. A quick glance to the right revealed a pissed off Red, raising its right fist which soon became engulfed in green fire. He had to be free. _Now_.

Braylon materialized Cerastes in his right hand and pointed the weapon in its face. Pulling the trigger, the ball detached itself from the grip and went straight between its eyes. The Minotaur wananbe quickly let go of Braylon, who fell on the ground, as it took a few steps back, yelling in pain. He fell just in time, as a green fireball flew above his head. It would only took a few inches and he would be roasted.

The second Minotaur was dangerously close to him for his liking, as it prepared its war axe to chop his head off. While Cerastes's ball was still in the air, he swang as hard as he could, aiming for the bastard. Out of nowhere, Braylon saw the spiky ball crashing into the left side of its head. It looked like the beast got a powerful bitch slap which caused it to turn 180 degrees, walk four steps forward only to finally crash on the ground. Braylon moved Cerastes once again. Now it hit the Minotaur in front of him right into its stomach. The spikes buried themselves into the flesh, causing some serious injuries. The ball retracted back to the grip, which caused even more damage as the Minotaur fell on its knees, wheezing and holding the stomach to prevent more blood from spilling out.

Braylon jumped away from another fireball before shooting a Holo Sawblade at Red. Rather than keeping it occupied, Red merely grunted in annoyance.

He approached the kneeling Minotaur and decided to kill it.

SBAM!

Cerastes hit its head. A bit bloody. Roaring in rage.

SBAM!

The skull was slightly crushed. Blood covered most of the head. Roaring is slightly reduced.

SBAM!

Minotaur was forced to hold his upper body from the ground with its hands. Head was a mess. Grumbling. Right hand reached up.

Braylon let out a war cry as he raised his blood-covered mace.

SBAM!

 _Now_ it fell. Fucking finally.

Before he could continue his fight, braylon placed the pendant around his neck. He could feel the power flowing through his body. An explosion of violence begging to be released. At the same time the remaining Minotaur monster slowly got up, face covered in blood.

Braylon materialized his Holo Whip. He coiled the Whip around one of its legs and pulled. As soon as it fell, Braylon ran up to it and jumped, raising Cerastes up in the air only to bring it down on its abdomen with the force of a fired cannonball. The creature screamed as loud as it could before falling down one last time. As soon as he turned around, a green fireball hit him in the chest.

The pain was impossible to describe. Kinda like being set on fire and drowned in acid at the same time. It burned his clothes and skin. Braylon fell on his knees before a red fist hit him in the face. He could feel his nose getting pulverized deep into his skull as he flew like a ragdoll.

Red stomped closer to him, bringing down a hoof on his chest. Again. And again. When Red was about to bring it down for the fourth time, Braylon materialized his Holo Sabre and stabbed it right through the hoof and deep into the leg. Red roaored, enraged because this mortal dared to do something like that. Braylon caught the opportunity to stab Red once again, giving him enough time to move the fuck away from certain death.

Braylon materialized his Bullpup and fired eight shots at Red's head. When he stopped firing, the head was a mangled mess of green blood and flesh. Its jaw was barely attached with what remained of the skull and yet that creature was still alive, nevermind the horrible gurgling and demented moaning. The Vault Hunter pulled the trigger of his Cerastes once again and slammed the sphere on the head-now-squished-tomato. The head popped and the creature was dead.

"Not bad, mortal. Not bad at all. But I just started."

Another scroll was tossed on the ground. The black smoke split in three parts again. This time something different came out. Three obese, humanoid wild boars with different fur color and weapons (brown had a sword, black had an a mace and the white had a war hammer). The brown and white carried some form of primitive clothing made of, I kid you not, _human skin_ while the black one carried a metallic armor plus few skulls (one of them was human) as trophies.

" _Human!_ ", one of them squealed, " _We gonna be eatin' tonight boys!_ "

" _Sure thing, boss!_ "

The young Vault Hunter swapped both his Cerastes and Bullpup for his Vulcannon, whcih he quickly changed into a flaming sword.

" _Hehehe, this human thinks we can be burn'd!_ "

" _Yeh, we are immune to fire, y_ _a git!_ "

Braylon smiled, "Really? Thanks for telling me."

He grabbed the pommel, twisted and pulled, revealing a red cylindrical battery. As soon as he did this, the fire that engulfed the blade vanished. He took a white battery, placed it inside the grip and closed the opening with the pommel. The blade changed color from red to white, immediately followed by the fire of the same color.

"Then maybe this will do the trick."

He jumped forward and slashed the brown boarman. It sqeualed in surprise before becoming an ice statue which quickly shattered into millions of pieces.

"Morons!", the man yelled, "Kill him already!"

" _Aye boss! RAAARGH!_ "

The white boarman started running towards the mortal opponent who jumped away before it could attack. The cursed sword found its way into the boarman's hip, freezing the insides. The last thing this poor idiot saw was Braylon chopping the head from the body with his Holo Sabre.

THUD!

" _AARGH! I WILL KILL YOU!_ "

The final boarman roared as it slammed against Braylon, enraged for the loss of his allies. And while it was busy burying its head (and tusks) into his chest, he stabbed the monster in the back.

It did nothing.

He stabbed two more times. The boarman slowed down its rampage as it began to turn into ice. For a finishing move, Braylon shoved Vulcannon into boarman's forhead with such force that it went straight through the skull and into the spinal cord.

"Damn. Now that's what I call a brain freeze." he said as he got up. The man, however, had no plans for stopping.

"Keep fighting for my amusement, mortal! But you won't be able to fight forever!"

This time the old fuck summoned a woman with long white hair and robes. Her bangs were completely covering her eyes, leaving only mouth and nose to be visible. Curiously, as she rose from the smoke Braylon couldn't see any legs. As for her mouth, her lips were pale as her skin. He could hear a womanly voice singing gracefully as soon as she appeared. But he was far from being a fool. He knew that this woman was a trick. A deception to lower his guard.

His point was quickly proven when said woman started moving and let me tell you that no legs, no matter how agile, could move so fast. She was floating slightly above ground.

Braylon dematerialized Vulcannon and took out his Unforgiven. The two shots he fired completely missed the target as she quickly dodged by floating to the side. When she dodged the second bullet, she decided to return the favor by _blowing_.

 _Damn_.

The wind she created with her mouth resembled more of a blizzard than anything else. Half of the damn arena was quickly covered in snow and Braylon was forced to put his arms in front of his face to defend himself. The unnatural cold that was freezing his very soul (at least he felt like that) did not help him either. He needed to distract her from the attack. But how?

He slowly and carefully pointed his left arm towards her. He fired a Holo Sawblade in her direction, which she quickly dodged at the expense of sacrificing her continuous attack. Something that he was prepared for.

He shot a bullet with Unforgiven as quickly as he could, holstered it, ran up to her, grabbed her by the hair, pulled the head close enough to make her bend, hit her stomach with his right knee, jumped to her right while still holding her, pulled her hard enough to make her fall on the ground, smash her head against the ground two times and then finally removing her from play with a right punch that completely destroyed her head. Before she died, she let out an echoing scream that quickly dissapeared as soon as her body disintegrated into a pile of snow that scattered through the air. The snow present in the arena melted away.

The man became _really_ angry. He must've pushed several buttons.

"Why?! Why don't you understand?! You can never win against us, mortal! No matter how hard you fight, that will never change! Your kind is so primitive and limited – you dance to our tune, you kill, rob and hate one another because _we_ want you to! Even as we speak, my allies masquerade as mortals, causing chaos wherever they so desire! Your kind is only good for slaughter and manipulation! You hear me, human?! SLAUGHTER AND MANIPULATION!"

The man took a fourth scroll from his belt. Braylon had the feeling that this round would be the hardest by far.

And he was right.

Instead of throwing it on the ground, the man simply held it in his left hand and raised his right. A sphere of purple light appeared in his hand. It quickly divided itself in two smaller ones who immediately flew towards the trees. When the spheres fused with the bark, both trees started glowing before they began changing. The roots rose from the ground and morphed into legs (with roots as toes) while the branches became arms and heads. The end result was a humanoid tree with wooden faces and beards, purple leaves for hair and two branches for horns. And while their faces were unmoving and expressionless, their rage was manifested in their movements, ready to rip Braylon a new one.

But that was not all. For the man used one last trick. He brought into the arena a three-meters-tall humanoid with green skin, orange hair and beard, armor made of silver-gray fur (animal unknown) and a pair of antlers sticking out from the head.

One of the tree humanoids stomped the ground, creating a row of wooden spikes that went straight for Braylon. He was able to dodge them but the deer-man grabbed him in midair, smashed him tot he ground and tossed him towards the second walking tree, which used its hand as a hammer to bring down the flying mortal.

The pain was unbearable. Every inch of his body was bruised and burning. A torture that no man felt before. He slowly tried to get up, only to be kicked by a wooden leg as if he were some kind of a football. His body was flying as a tiny rock when you throw it at the water to see if it can bounce at the surface before drowning.

You would think this would be the end. That he would finally give up. But no, he was a stubborn son of a bitch who saw death as a rule that doesn't apply to him. He _will_ defeat these bastards. And he knew exactly how.

While still in pain, Braylon materialized his Vulcannon in its flamethrower mode and hid it with his body while also trying to change the fuel battery from Ice Dust to Fire Dust. Because the battery required for the flamethrower mode is bigger than that for the sword mode, he had some trouble reloading without going unnoticed so he pretended he was having spasms caused by pain.

One of the tree monsters took the bait and came closer. But as soon as it did so, the young Vault Hunter revealed his weapon and pulled the trigger.

FWOOOSH!

The walking tree caught fire sooner than anything flammable known to man, panicking and waving its arms around before falling down and becoming a XXL version of Human Torch.

He felt the energy coming back to hid body as he stood up, ready to finish this damn fight that lasted for far too long.

The second tree met its doom when Braylon transformed Vulcannon in its sword mode, jumped and stabbed with it the treemination (yeah, sorry for the lame attempt at making jokes). While burning, it took took several steps back, thus coming close to the man with the scrolls.

"TIMBER!" Braylon yelled as it fell down. Shame though, that the man managed to cast a fucking force field to defend himself.

Time to deal with the deer-boy over there.

It decided to attack with the left fist. Braylon responded by stabbing said fist to the ground with his Vulcannon and blocking any further movement with it. Because its face was closer, Braylon allowed himself to throw a few punches before jumping on top of the wounded fist, picking up the sword, swiftly climbing until he reached the head and stab it from behind. He then used the sword as help for his awesome (and needless) air roll jump which in turn cracked the head open.

Hmm... I give it a 8/10.

He now stood in front of the man. His Vulcannon was raised up in the air, ready to smite this bastard. However, he raised his right hand and formed a purple force field to prevent the attack. After a brief power struggle, Braylon managed to shatter the force field, allowing him to kick the man's leg, who lost his balance. He then proceeded his execution by stabbing the blade through the man's abdomen, lifting him up and tossing the body behind him.

The man weakly stood up, staring at the newly-made hole in his body.

"Damn you, human! DAMN YOU – AAAAAH!"

As he prepared to call more of his allies, the Vault Hunter quickly ran and sliced the hand that held the scroll.

"Oh, wait. Let me give you a hand."

Braylon performed a 360 and removed the head from its body.

"Hey man. You shouldn't loose your head over for such trivial things."

Another 360 and the body was cut in two with a horizontal slash.

"There we go. Have fun in Hell."

It was done. He won.

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

"Before I forget, I think I'll take that.", he said as he took the scroll from the hand, "Not like you will be using it anyway."

He opened the scroll. There were four vertical lines of symbols he never saw before in his life. Hell, not even the database of his device had any info about them! Hopefully it would be something useful just like his pendant.

The circle was quickly reducing its size and Braylon noticed that. He had no idea how to get out so he raised his hands in front of himself and ran towards the borders. Surprisingly, he was able to get out. The problem was that he didn't expect that to happen and he ended up falling on his ass near a tree.

BOOM!

A white, loud flash appeared behind him. It sounded like thunder. When he turned around to see what happened...

Everything was gone.

No bodies, no anomalies, nothing.

Gone.

He sighed as he sat leaning on a tree. Another strange encounter with things he was unable to understand. And just when that damn android decided to give him troubles. _Again_.

The pendant stopped glowing. He knew what that meant.

* * *

 **New item acquired!**

 **Contract with the Dark Ruler**

 **"** **Abyssus abyssum invocat."**

 **\- Cursed Eldritch artifact**

 **\- Killing one human (or human-like being) has 5% chance to activate one of the following:**

 **a) Distortion Field: the fabric of reality itself bends around the user, greatly decreasing Damage from enemy attacks. (Energy-based attacks are completely nullified.)**

 **b)** **Spirit Reclamation: the next human (or human-like being) killed will completely heal the user**

 **c)** **Mind Crush: an aura of abnormal fear radiates from the user and infects their opponents, slowing their attacks and movement. (Weaker opponents are completely paralyzed.)**

 **d)** **Sixth Sense: the spirit, mind and body of the user is gifted with the ability to predict the opponent's attacks, thus greatly aiding the user in fight. (Lasts five minutes.)**

 **\- The item must be equipped to use the effects**

 **\- The user can pay 25% of their Health in order to raise the effect activation chance by 20% for the next five minutes.**

* * *

 **I feel like I should summarize** **Braylon's arsenal from time to time. So here it goes.**

 **a)** **Shield: The Bee**

 **b) Grenade mods: Meganade (explosive, no prefixes)/Pandemic (Lobbed, corrosive)**

 **c) Small Guns: Chimera (scoped), Unforgiven (scopeless, version from the first game), Hard Reboot (Shock)**

 **d) Shotguns: Bullpup**

 **e) Sniper Rifles: Omni-Cannon, Trespasser**

 **f) Assault Rifles:** **Damned Cowboy (iron scope), Fusillade (red dot sight)**

 **g) Rocket Launchers/Heavy Weapons: Nukem, Boreas**

 **h) Energy Weapons: Fornax, Vulcannon, Mining Laser, Excalibastard**

 **i) Melee Weapons: Cerastes**

 **j)** **Holographic Weapon Maker Tools: Holo Sabre, Holo Claw, Holo Sawblade, Holo Whip**

 **k) Artifacts/Other: Contract With the Dark Ruler**

 **Wow. So many ways to kick ass...**


	54. Challenge

**Star Gazer: Sorry for not replying on your comment. The thing is I had no idea what Grimm Eclipse was so I was busy searching around for a brief summary. I learned that while it is canon, it happens between volume 2 and 3. The problem is that I am thinking to insert there the first arc I planned for so long (remember when I said that I created two of those?). One of the solutions is going through Grimm Eclipse arc first and then the planned one before finally going to volume 3. I need to think about Volume 2 canon first plus some side chapters involving our recent friends.**

 **TL;DR: Maybe yes, maybe no. Depends.**

 **kerrowe: The Shield is wrecked and needs to be repaired/upgraded, yes. I don't understand the second question. No, he has no backup.**

* * *

It was good being in a body.

A _human_ body.

Perception. Intelligence. Emotions. Memories.

All of it.

He could feel all of it.

 ** _It's dark in here. Left alone in a room. Darkness. Silence. Left to scratch at the walls, calling for them, begging them to let you out. Yes. We share the same past. Betrayed by those we loved the most. Let me know you better._**

 **...Huntsmen.**

 **...Beacon.**

 **...Teammates.**

 **...Him.**

 _Hatred._

 ** _For_ _him?_**

 _Yes._

 ** _Why?_**

 _Wronged me._

 ** _Why?_**

 _No one wrongs me._

 ** _I asked you_** **why _? Let me see._**

 _..._

 ** _Ah._ _He has freedom. Talk freely, move freely, live freely... no... respect... It's all about respect._**

 _..._

 ** _I see. You have to fear him no more._**

 _I am not afraid! Never was!_

 ** _Don't lie to me. I know you. I am part of you now._ _Accept it._**

 _...I want him dead._

A laugh.

 ** _Many do._**

 _..._

 ** _Yes. I can sense him. Very close. Hmm... Someone's coming.  
_**

 _Hm?_

"Hey, Cardin!"

"Yo, man! Where the heck were you?"

 ** _Teammates. Team CRDL. Your allies._**

 _Traitors._

 ** _Even traitors are useful. Let me show you._**

"Dove? Sky? What are you two doing here?"

The two looked at each other.

"Uh, we were looking for you? Like, you... ran."

"Yes. I _know_."

"Um... great. So, uh, we need to go."

"Why?"

"What you mean why? Goodwitch, man. Wanna make her mad?"

 ** _Goodwitch. Professor at Beacon. Need to know more. But first..._**

"Also, where were you?"

"Oh, you know. Walking... exploring..."

"Huh?"

Cardin sighed, "Enough."

Suddenly, the leader of team CRDL raised both of his hands and pointed them towards the duo.

"Um... what are you doing?"

A vertical cut appeared in each of the palms, separating the skin and exposing the flesh. Two spheres made of dark crimson substance shot out from the wounds. Dove was hit in the face while Sky in the chest. They had no time to respond as the strange substance rapidly formed a thick layer around their bodies.

 ** _Hungry. And thirsty._**

With the index finger pointing at himself, Cardin made the two cocoons fuse together only to throw themselves back at their owner's chest, enveloping him as it did with the duo.

The shapeless, crimson mass started twisting and contorting and emitting alien moans, grunts and screeches. This disturbing process continued until the mass started retaking humanoid shapes. To an observer's eye, this scene would be eerily close to that of clay modelling. First there were the basics such as four limbs, a torso and a head. Then five long, bony fingers with long, red, sharp nails. A large mouth with two rows of sharp teeth. Two orange eyes shaped like fire drawn on a piece of paper. Abnormal muscles and dozens of different tendrils placed randomly all over the body. Blackened parts of the skin were shaped to resemble the human circulatory system.

 ** _Do you feel that power? Good. Inhale it. Taste it. Hear it._ _For it will be the cause of Braylon's downfall... and your uprise in power._**

 _It feels... good._

 ** _I know it does. Move now. Let's find him. He is close. Use your powers. Gain some familiarity with them. They are yours now._**

The alien crouched, aiming for a nearby tree. It jumped with such efficiency and power, that no human or Faunus, no matter how athletic or skilled in Aura manipulation they are, could perform such feat. It climbed, swang and jumped like a predator hunting its prey. Braylon was reached for just few minutes. He was leaning on a tree, unconscious. The alien crouched.

"Well, well, well. Looks like our beauty needs some sleep.", it said before grabbing Braylon by the throat and lifting him up, " **Where are your allies now, hm?! Where are those who wished for our separation?! Where are they?! Talk! Argh... wait.** " **  
**

 ** _Ah... ah... Ruby Rose... team RWBBY... Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long... and then you... also, team JNPR... close... friends..._ _new allies. A threat._**

" **We will be close once again. You have my word. But this time I will take some measures. Starting from _them_**."

* * *

"Good job, Jaune!"

"Thanks Pyrrha."

The blond knight did it. He really did it. He killed an Ursa by himself. Without anyone helping him. Not Pyrrha. Not Ruby. He _himself_. To protect his friends, he would do this and else.

Jaune turned around. Ruby was cheerful, as always, Weiss was rather stoic (damn it) and Pyrrha... she was beaming. That was the first time he saw her smiling like that.

It kinda freaked him out. Just a bit.

He then noticed how the girls quickly changed their expressions when they saw something behind him. He turned around and, dear god, there was Cardin. But he wasn't alone. He carried an unconscious Braylon. His school uniform was ruined and he had blood on his face. What happened to him?

"Braylon!" Ruby yelled as he heard someone gasp.

"What did you do to him?!" Asked Weiss.

"Me? Absolutely nothing. I found him laying on the ground so I brought him back here."

That... was kinda weird, Jaune thought. Cardin, a bully, helped someone. Jaune quickly dropped his puzzled look and changed it for a frown.

"Let him go Cardin."

"Sure." He smiled as he placed Braylon on the ground.

"What did you do to him?"

"Didn't I say it already?"

"You are not trustworthy."

"Really? Well, you better believe me, Jauney boy. I mean, just because you and I are not friends, it doesn't mean I cannot be best buds with Braylon."

"Sure, sure. You are "best buds" just like you were with me?"

"Of course not. We are actual friends."

"I never saw him talk to you before..."

"Do you need to see everything, Schnee?"

Jaune noted how Pyrrha didn't really do anything to help. As if she held a grudge against Braylon.

"Are we going to stand here and wait for him to die or what?"

"Professor Goodwitch should come any second now."

The knight was angry. He really didn't trust Cardin. How could he? So he walked up to him and stared him in the eyes.

"Don't _ever_ mess with my team, my _friends_ , ever again. Got it?"

Cardin chuckled as if he just told a good joke.

"Sure, no problem. No problem at all."

He made such a creepy smile that June would probably pee in his pants if it weren't for the adrenaline he got from killing that Ursa.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

He couldn't explain why, but there was something wrong when he looked Cardin in the eyes. As if the person speaking was not Cardin himself but rather an imposter disguised as him. Okay, going to conspiracy theory levels here.

Thankfully the scrolls buzzed.

 _Beep... beep..._

Braylon grunted as he opened his eyes.

"Hmmm... what..."

 _Beep... beep..._

He slowly moved his head to the left. From the looks of it, he was in a hospital room. But who brought him here? Shouldn't he be in the forest?

"You are awake."

Braylon immediately turned his head towards the source of the voice. There sat the headmaster, sipping coffe from his trusty mug. Kinda irritating.

"Where am I?"

"At Beacon. Thanks to your friends, we were able to take you back to the academy before something worse happened."

"Puah! It takes more than... simple injuries to kill me."

"I'm glad to know that. But you were in a near-death state. If we waited just a little longer, you would be dead."

" _About time._ "

"Internal bleeding, broken bones... according to the doctors, you should stay in that bed for at least a month. And yet you healed completely in one day."

"Hmpf. Doctors are idiots. That or they never heard of me. Both."

"It isn't nice spitting on the hand that feeds you."

"Yeah... too bad no hand feeds me whatsoever. Actually, the only hand that ever gave me food was mine and mine alone."

"And what about your friends?"

"They are no friends of mine."

"If they are not your friends, then why did they help you? They could have just leave you in the forest."

"Fuck if I know. Should I care if someone decides to go braindead?"

Braylon touched his chest. His eyes widened and he started searching around for something.

"Looking for this?" Ozpin said as took out the pendant locked inside a small plastic box and placed it on a nearby table.

He didn't respond.

"Braylon.", Ozpin adjusted his glasses, "I don't know what this is, but I can tell you that this thing is dangerous."

" _No shit._ "

"Miss Rose saw it fall away from your body when you were placed in the Bullhead. As soon as she took it in her hands, she started feeling sick. To the point that she almost lost her consciousness from the pain she felt. At least, that's what she told us. Interestingly, the pendant was glowing as if it reacted in some way with her. Nevertheless, she swore she would give it back to you."

Braylon reached for the box, broke it and took the pendant, storing it quickly in his PDA. He then got up and took the school uniform that was on the table.

"Would you care to explain how were you able to heal so fast? Even with Aura, such fast healing process is unheard of."

"I have no reason to share such information with you or anyone else. You have your methods. I have mine."

"Braylon, we are not your enemies. Being distrustful is not healthy."

"Neither are alcohol, cigarettes or drugs. Yet people use them anyways. Now excuse me, but I have important stuff to do. One of them, is stuffing my stomach with food. See you around Ozzy."

* * *

Their table was awkwardly quiet. JNPR and the girls from RWBBY stood in silence as they watched Braylon eating three plates filled with cakes, cookies and other sugary things.

"You shouldn't eat all of that. It's not good for you." Weiss scolded.

"There is not much difference between all of this and that apple you have."

"What do you mean?" The red leader asked as she ate her cookies.

"Hmph. If that is a real apple then I am the Pope."

"Who?"

"Not important."

"Nonsense!", the heiress snapped, "This is an organic product! Are you saying that I am bringing plastic fruits with me?"

Everyone, except Braylon, chuckled at that.

"Nothing is organic. Nearly everything real is gone. What you have there is a ball of animal hormones disguised as an apple. Just like the meat that Arc is eating right now."

The knight in question looked at his food and then slowly moved it away.

"...Excuse me?"

"You seriously think that an organic apple can be that big and that perfect? Did you ever touched the skin of that apple? Feels weird, right? That's because it is coated in a special wax to make it look so shiny under the lights. Same thing with everything else. Fish that grows twice as fast. Peas stuffed with estrogen and many other delicious things. But what the fuck do I know? I am not a scientist. Listen them instead. Surely they are omnibenevolent and pure and always speak the truth. Details are not important. Say something against them and you are labelled as a heretic. And the best thing of it all? Every single part of it happens under the eyes of corporate thieves who get greedier and greedier."

All the time he was looking at Weiss, who immediately realized he was talking about her and people like her. She was angry, not because he said what he said but because he implied that _she and her family_ are like that too. Meanwhile, others looked at each other in confusion.

"Just imagine. A planet, with billions of humans consuming tons and tons of this garbage, unsure what are they eating exactly because they cannot rely on visual clues anymore. And then, there are this governments who approve such methods. Of course, they were never meant for the people, but why? Why governments allow such things? Easy. They allow it as long as they get part of the profit. Possibly because it is broke and cannot fulfill the needs of its population... or because politicians are legal thieves too. Mostly the latter. There are also lobbyists..."

"Even if it's true, what do I have to do with such unethical matters?"

Ruby gasped, "Braylon! Are you accusing Weiss?! What did she do?!"

"She is the daughter of one such corporate thief. That is enough to make her life worthless."

"Care to explain what did I, or my family for that matter, ever do to you?"

"Me? Nothing in particular. But why don't you ask that same question to your workforce? See if you would get the same answer from them as you did from me."

At those words, the heiress's frown softened a bit. Not that he cared.

"Let me explain myself, Schnee. The first chance I get, I will make your life as painful as possible."

In all honesty, he had no reason to wait for it because he already got the chance when he blew up that Institute. The damage was so astronomical that even the SDC suffered from it. In one night the company's stocks plummeted so low that other adversaries almost ripped it to shreds. Rumor has it that both the SDC and Atlas are in a huge economic crisis, with many people suddenly loosing jobs, houses and reasons to live. Not one man or woman on Remnant knows how or why Atlas hasn't still fallen into anarchy. Plot I guess, I mean, moving on.

"Is that a threat? Are you threatening me?"

"No. A threat is something you say to someone to cause intimidation. This is a _promise_."

She raised from her seat, "You do that, and I will have your head."

To piss her off even more, he sent few kisses her way. She was so angry that she took everything she had and went away. There was some awkward silence before Yang spoke up.

"You... didn't really mean that, did you?"

He smiled, "What do you think?"

She was baffled, "Why would you do such a thing?"

"I told you already."

"So? Just because she is a rich daddy's girl?"

"Do you know the labor conditions of the Schnee Dust Company, blondie? They live to work. Not the other way around. Then of course you have the retards who will go as far as to _defend_ the Company by brining bullshit and straw arguments to the table. But I guess that's how humanity works. Humans see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear and speak what they want to speak. To quote, "If liberty means anything at all, it means to the right to tell the people what they don't want to hear.""

"Since when do you care about the Faunus?" Blake asked but Yang interrupted her.

"...Yup, it's official. You are going to therapy. Even if I have to drag you there."

"And Jaune? Don't think that I have forgotten what you tried to do back there. I don't wanna hear it. You _will_ get your ass kicked for that."

Jaune wanted to magically disappear behind Pyrrha, who frowned as did the other duo.

"Hey, there is no reason to treat him like that. He wants to apologize, right Jaune?"

"Y-yes..."

"Not that he has to!", the ginger butted in, "You left instead of helping him."

"So? Not my problem if he is an idiot!"

"Braylon!"

"You know what?", Pyrrha suddenly spoke, "Why don't you and I decide who was right in the arena, today?"

"Well that's a surprise. Jaune, a man, a team leader, has to let a woman, a second in command, solve his problems for him. What happened? Your balls dropped off?", he laughed while whole JNPR became angry, "But you know what? Why don't we turn this shit up to eleven? Today, me, alone, against your whole team, a quartet of monkeys."

"Wow. Someone has high opinion of themselves." Yang muttered.

The leader of JNPR became extremely pale when he heard Braylon's offer, he was about to decline politely when his three teammates betrayed him.

"Challenge accepted!"

"WHAT?!"

"Perfect.", the Vault Hunter smirked, "You better prepare yourselves. I'm like nothing you ever faced before. Team JNPR will humiliate itself today."

He got up, not even bothering to take away the plates or finish his meal, and went out.

"I am really tempted to break his legs." Pyrrha sighed in irritation.

"Let me join you!" Nora yelled angrily.

"I don't think standing next to him is a good idea.", Ren commented, "He has bad influence."

"We are so dead." Jaune slammed his head on the table.


	55. Brutality, Thy Name is Braylon

Three hours. He had three hours to prepare himself for the upcoming match. The problem was that he had them filled with other (pointless) classes. His solution was simple: skip them all. Yes, Braylon spent three hours in the locker room doing all kinds of stuff. Grades be damned.

A hour and a half were spent on fixing the damn Shield. There was no way to upgrade it, unfortunately. That procedure required at least few days. But hey, better that than nothing, right?

As soon as he finished, he decided to hack into Beacon' database and do a little research on his opponent, team JNPR. No need to remind you that this is legal. Nope, no need.

" _Let's see..._ "

Number one, the blond Don Quixote. Right handed, 1.85 meters in height, white Aura color, Semblance... unknown. Okay. Looks like the guy is very skilled with that shield and sword of his. I dunno about you, but I'm pretty confident saying... bullshit. Not once did Jaune demonstrated any ability other than being a huge idiot. Plus he is a coward. He will go down easy.

Oh boy. Number deux, Thor wannabe. Right handed, 1.55 meters in height (basically a midget), fucking ginger with a soul, pink Aura, semblance... oh là là. She can produce and channel electrical energy into her body, thus giving her absurd strenght. There is also her weapon, Magnhild, which is a war hammer and a grenade launcher. This one might be a problem. Might.

Oh-ho. Number tres, Captain America: This is Sparta edition. Her Aura is red and her semblance is Polarity... in other words, she is also Magneto. Awesome. She has two weapons. A shield she can throw (just like Captain America!) and a javelin/rifle. Has won several tournaments... exceptional skill... blah, blah, blah. Next.

The fourth, and final, White Chinaman. Left handed, 1.75 meters in height, pink Aura (hah! GAY!). Semlbance... also unknown. The fuck? Anyways, he has two weapons, fully automatic pistols with two sickle-like blades. All in all, average.

Braylon also had full access to the footage from the initiation (" _That motherfucker..._ ") which allowed him to take a peek into each member's fighting style. He learned. A lot. And yet they had no idea about his fighting style. Hint: It's because he has none. He merely adapts to the situation at hand. Still, the young Vault Hunter did not let his guard down as he started making plans, for there is one rule every warrior must always remember even in his sleep.

The fatal flaw in every plan is the assumption that you know more than your enemy.

There was another thing that was constantly nagging him. Basically, they all had superpowers and two of them are unknown even by Beacon. This could be an issue if left unchecked, because this means they had not one but two secret weapons at their disposal.

His eyes widened. Something flashed in his mind. A thought. He smiled.

" _How the hell did I forget such a thing?!_ "

They weren't the only ones with a secret weapon.

He materialized _the bottle_.

It was still warm to the touch. The red female demon was still there, blowing a fiery kiss. The liquid was still glowing. Heh, a devil's kiss.

" _...Why that thought jumped into my mind? God, I am seriously disturbing sometimes._ "

With his right hand he grabbed the demon's head, twisted and removed with a loud "pop". He brought the bottle closer. Strange. The liquid had no smell. Just what was its purpose? Is it some kind of napalm or some shit? What would happen if he drank some of it?

And so we come to the "Scientist running out of time/money, tests his theories on himself" cliché part. Braylon sighed, brought the bottle closer to his lips and poured the liquid into his mouth. Please refrain from laughing.

Well... that was anticlimactic. The liquid had no taste either. There was the warmth though. It was like drinking boiled water. Gulping, he felt the warmth going from his neck into the bottle fell on the ground. His hands squeezed his stomach. Something was going on. His hands...

 **Warning. Unknown chemical agent detected in the digestive system. Rise in body temperature detected. Warning, abnormal rise in temperature detected in the hands.** **Heat injuries imminent.**

He brought them up. They were _burning_. Like, really burning.

It started from the fingers. A strange glow spread from the fingertips towards the palms, which erupted into two fireballs as if they were covered with gasoline. The flesh and skin on both hands turned into ash which fell harmlessly on the ground, exposing the bones. It was like willingly placing them into lava.

 **Warning. Genetic damage detected. Warning. DNA modification detected. Cause: unknown. Probability of prevention: 5%. Warning.** **U** **nknown DNA sample detected.**

He screamed during the whole scene. The Thermal Adaptor and other implants proved to be useless when it came to reducing the pain. The torture continued for few more minutes before a blinding white flash appeared out of nowhere. When his vision returned to normal, his hands were as prisitine as when he was born.

"A-ha-ha...", he coughed, "What the fuck!?"

The young Vault Hunter stared at his palms in disbelief. What just happened? Only few seconds ago they were burning away and now... now they were back to normal. His eyes returned to the bottle, who was now on the ground, its liquid forming a tiny pond. He picked it up.

"What did you do to me?" He asked the inanimate object as he took the head and placed it back to where it belonged. He snapped his fingers unintentionally. Only to see something that was not supposed to happen.

The two fingers became a lighter. They were making fire... and he felt no pain.

He gawked.

"Wut..."

The boy shook his hand and the fire dissapeared. He tried out this sorcery one more time and once again he got the same result. He needed to test his new abilities further. He wanted to see his whole hand on fire.

Closing his eyes, Braylon made a mental image of his right hand and how it burned. Not even a minute later, he felt warmth radiating from said hand. His fingers and palm were glowing brilliantly while everything else became charred. Incredible. Maybe he could do something with it other than setting himself on fire?

There was a locker on his right. Probably occupied by some nameless student. He redirected the palm at the locker and shook it slightly.

FWOOSH!

Damn. The thing instantly caught fire. It even started _melting_. But that still wasn't enough for our "lovable" hero.

He twisted the fingers closer to the palm. He concentrated on imagining a fireball created from his hand. Suddenly, the fingers became even brighter as _liquid fire_ started dripping from them.

FWOOSH!

He did it! He created a small fireball! It was quickly tossed into some distant lockers.

BOOM!

Oops. Hopefully no one heard that.

He looked at the clock. The time has come. Today, team JNPR will fall.

* * *

"Who does that jerk think he is?!" The ginger girl shouted while smashing a locker with her fist.

"He behaves like that even towards his own team.", her partner noted, "He completely lacks any respect for his teammates."

"But have you seen how confident he was when he challenged all of us, Renny?! It's like he knows something that we don't!"

"He does look strong..." Jaune added. Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Jaune. He may be strong, but against us he has no chance of winning."

"Pyrrha... are you angry?"

"...Me?"

"Yes, you."

"It's... it's because I can't stand people like him. A self-obsessed, know-it-all."

"Argh! I can't wait to break his legs in the arena! That will teach him some manners!" Nora shouted with a psychotic smirk on her face.

"Guys, I think it's time to go..."

"You are right, Jaune. Let's go!"

After final preparations, team JNPR decided to walk out of the locker rooms and reach the arena. Surprisingly, the whole arena was filled with students who were _really_ excited.

"Looks like the word about our fight spread all over Beacon..."

Pyrrha was waving, Jaune was amazed, Nora had to be restrained by a stoic Ren.

"Hey look. It's him." Jaune said, everyone turning their head towards their opponent.

He, like Ren, was stoic too. He wore the friggin' _school uniform_ to the battle, and no weapons, which made several students laugh. Not that he cared.

"He is treating this match like a joke."

Professor Goodwitch stood on her usual place, watching the both JNPR and Braylon. She raised her riding crop and everyone became quiet. She started speaking.

"Welcome, students. Before I start, I would like to mention that today we have second year students joining our class. They are here to learn and observe, just like everyone else. Should we have time, perhaps you will be able to see few older teams in a match. Use this opportunity to improve your skills."

Two minutes in and Braylon was already annoyed. Seeing how JNPR already has weapons in hands, he decided to bring out one of his own. Most notably, Boreas. Most of the students who came were witnessing for the first time Braylon's magical tech, so it was natural that he could hear most of them gasping, whispering and whatnot.

"And now to the match. Remember...", her gaze turned to him, becoming even more stern (if possible), "...no lethal attacks. This is a friendly match, not a fight to the death."

Some monitors above lit up, showing both Braylon and team JNPR. Each fighter had a green bar below them... except Braylon, which was empty. Even Glynda noted this.

"It appears that we have a malfunction of some kind. Mister Braylon, is your Scroll activated?"

He replied calmly, "My Scroll was assimilated into my device. And yes, it is active. But I do not have Aura."

 _Everyone_ gasped.

"No Aura? Is that a joke?"

"That guy has no Aura and he is still alive!"

"Just who is he?!"

Braylon spoke, "I don't need Aura to beat those useless cowards over there. But just to make you happier, professor, I will make this.", he tapped on his device and created a green bar below his image on the monitors.

"That green bar displays how much Damage I am able to take before I finally lose. It is similar to Aura. And yes, professor, that includes lethal injuries."

"I cannot allow a match between a Huntsman and a non-Aura user-"

"I am not a "non-Aura user", _professor_. I am a Vault Hunter. Getting hurt is part of the job.", he said as he snapped his neck few times, "It will take more than few injuries to take me down."

At first, her expression softened a bit, before becoming stern again.

"I won't back up from this fight. And I am sure that team JNPR won't either. Correct?"

He saw how they were way more hesitant to fight him now. Pathetic.

"Bear in mind that even if you decide to surrender, I _will_ attack you... and quite possibly kill you.", he threatened, much to everyone's surprise, "So you don't have a choice, JNPR. Either fight, or die."

"Is he out of his mind?!" Weiss screeched from her seat.

"What is he saying?!" Even Ruby was surprised.

Coco, leader of CFVY, merely moved her sunglasses down to have a better look at Braylon, "Kid's cocky."

"Too cocky."

"I sure hope he can fight the same way he can talk."

"Prepare yourselves, team JNPR. You are about to get slapped so hard that even your ancestors will feel it." He proclaimed loudly. For some reason, Nora and Ren became angry.

Glynda sighed and closed her eyes, "...Very well. But remember, if I see a fatal injury, the match is over."

Fate wanted Braylon to give a quick glance at the crowd. He noticed how Cardin was looking at him with an almost predatorial smile on his lips. Fucking creepy-ass motherfucker.

"Ready... Start!"

* * *

( **AN:** Play "Pray me", OST from the first Yakuza game.)

Braylon quickly aimed at JNPR and fired three rockets. Pyrrha and Jaune stood in front of Nora and Ren, protecting everyone with their shields. The rockets hit the shields, creating a large cloud of smoke. Two seconds later, Nora and her partner jumped out and ran towards him, each from opposite directions. As predicted.

He swapped Boreas for Cerastes and ran towards Nora, who did a 360 and tried to hit him with her hammer in a bottom-up attack. He raised his mace for a top-down attack. The two weapons clashed.

BOOM!

The force released was enough to push back Braylon _and_ Nora away frome each other. Just then came Ren from his right, who tried to hit him with the right sickle-blade. Braylon waited for the right time to crouch, waited some more for Ren to get behind him, got up, turned around, grabbed the hand, smashed the right knee into Ren's elbow, making a loud crack and finishing with a punch straight to the jaw. The guy had poor stamina, so the attack did some pretty good damage.

"Ren!" Nora shouted as Jaune ren forward and Pyrrha aimed with her rifle. Two well-placed bullets removed a small portion of his Shield. Then came Nora and hit him with a surprise attack. He was flying.

That attack reduced the battery to a pathetic 10%. Note to himself: upgrading the Bee must be a top priority.

To the Vault Hunter's surprise, Don Quixote decided to attack him while he was on the ground. Talking about rude...

Braylon rolled away and immediately jumped up to his feet. They were near a wall. Perfect.

In order to taunt the pussy, Braylon dematerialized his weapon and moved into a fighting stance.

"Show me what you've got."

"With pleasure!"

Jaune ran up to him and tried to stab him with the sword. He dodged and went behind him. He grabbed Jaune by the hair and tossed him into the wall. He then did a 360 which ended in elbowing the blond knight right in the nose. Stunned, June walked few steps forward. Braylon used this brief moment to suplex the motherfucker into the wall _again_ only to toss his ass forward like a bag. That took 30% of his Aura.

Now, he did something that to an average eye would be surprisingly stupid. He materialized the Hard Reboot and shot the entire clip into Nora. I know what you're thinking, " _Yeah! Use that pistol against someone who can rape the power of lightning to her own advantage! HUZZAH!_ ", but let me finish the plan.

Nora lit up like a Christmas tree and started grinning. She was getting cocky... but forgot to pay the bill for it.

In an instant, she jumped high into the air and readied her war hammer, ready to smash it right into his face.

Yeah... Braylon had different plans. Time to cheat.

Braylon materialized his Holo Whip and used it to bring Jaune closer to him. He then grabbed the groaning guy and placed him as a meat shield. Nora changed from "psycho grin" to "OMG NO!" in seconds, but it was too late. The momentum won over her strenght and Magnhild slammed right into Jaune.

BAM! There goes Schröndinger's Dong! KO and somewhere in the crowd.

Nora stood there into some kind of comatose shock. Her eyes stared blankly in front of her, unable to comprehend that _she_ was the reason why their team leader, the person who was supposed to be the strongest, was the first to go down. You think Braylon had mercy? HAHAHA! NOPE! IT'S JUST CHUCK TESTA!

"HAHAHA! Good thing you tossed his ass at the crowd! HAHAHA! We won't have to worry about him anymore!"

He suddenly turned serious as he materialized his Bullpup and unloaded the whole clip into her. Let me tell you, ain't nobody strong with a whole god-damn magazine of lead loaded into their dem titties. No matter how much of an airbag they are. The last thing he did to her before moving on to the remaining two fighters was to uppercut her in the jaw. He placed foot on her neck and whispered.

"You know, a thought came to me. It may be that your whole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others. Heh. Nighty night."

As soon as he moved his face up, a fist smashed into it with such force that he was tossed into the wall. A barrage of fists slammed into his abdomen. No normal human could have that much power unless enhanced like Braylon.

Or having an Aura. Could this be one of the hidden Semblances? Power?

He had to do something, Chopsticks over there already depleted his Shield. A brief glance at his bar revealed that it was _half filled_. This guy already removed half of his "health", although the pain he felt was almost nonexistent.

"You bastard!" He shouted as he jumped back and prepared for a leg kick.

Braylon shot forward, grabbing the leg and slamming his right elbow into Ren's knee. He then turned him around by tossing the leg to the right and slammed his foot into the guy's skull, sending him to the ground.

"I will try to be nicer if you try to be smarter."

Suddenly, ren turned around and fired two shots into his chest.

Everything became quiet as Braylon widened his eyes. He looked down. The bullets missed his heart and hit the left lung. Nothing that PDA can't fix. He slowly raised his head towards a standing, and shocked, Ren.

"Good news. Today I will only fuck your soul."

First came a quick jab, then an uppercut, a punch into the stomach, a left cross, right hand grabbing the face and forcefully moving the head to the right shoulder and finally ending it with a leg slam to his cheek. Braylon waited for Ren to fall to the ground so that he could grab him by the hair.

"Wanna know what went wrong? I am not like the others."

A right fist was cocked back and slammed into Ren's face. Still not satisfied, Braylon Slammed his foot down on his head with as much force as possible. His Aura was completely depleted.

Three down, one to go. Time to get serious with the last one.

He knew about her Semblance and how she used it. In order for a metallic object to be controlled by Pyrrha, it needs to be touched. Meaning that he could either use ranged weapons... or use melee weapons she cannot touch to being with... like those from his HWM or his Vulcannon. He decided to go with his Holo Sabre.

The two ran up to each other. The first to strike was Braylon. Pyrrha quickly brought up her shield but was surprised when the Sabre _pierced_ through it. He kicked the hand with the shield away with his right leg while dematerializing Holo Sabre at the same time. She was wide open. He grabbed her by the sides of her head, pulled her down, kneed her in the stomach and then backhanded her to his right. She backflipped in mid air and landed on her feet. Nothing else was to be expected from a champion.

With a speed that left even Braylon surprised, she shot herself forward. But not before tossing that fucking shield of hers. Stupid Captain America bullshit.

Instead of moving or dodging, Braylon materialized his Holo Sabre and sliced the fucking thing in two, which made everyone surprised, but not her. She was more angry.

Unfortunately, he was open.

She ran up to him, did some flashy bullshit with her spear and then suddenly smacked him so hard that he was tossed in the air. She used her spear to propel herself so that she could kick him in mid air. Oh, while he was flying, she decided to shoot him three times.

"Oof!" He landed on the ground. Yup, there goes the Shield for a thrid fricking time. He had to gain some time for the Shield to recharge again.

He smirked as he materialized two grenades. One modified with Meganade Mod and one non-modified. He tossed the non-modified one, which was shot before it could reach the target. But while she was occupied, he tossed the other grenade near her. Before Pyrrha could react, the grenade went off, creating a singularity. She stabbed the ground with her spear to hold herself. She succeeded and the grenade exploded. It still caused her some mild damage but she was wide open again.

Braylon charged as quickly as he could. He grabbed her by the hips and moved forward until he slammed her to the wall. He quickly got up, thre two punches into her stomach, grabbed her by the face and slammed as hard as he could against the wall. She shot him once and then stabbed him. This only made him smile as she had no idea why he did not feel any pain. Thank you, Shield.

He grabbed the spear with his left hand and looked her in the eyes. The smirk grew as he unleashed his secret weapon. His burning hands.

Indeed, his hands caught fire in an instant. She watched as her precious weapon was _melting_ in one of his hands. It soon became too hot for her to hold, so she had to drop it.

That wasn't enough. The humiliation was simply not enough. The nickname she got must fall into mud today. And it will.

He punched her in the stomach with enough strenght to break a normal person's ribs, then tossed her on the ground. As he tried to reach down, she pulled her left leg up and continuously hit him in the stomach... until he grabbed her leg and decided to do a little surgery with the Holo Sabre. The surgery in question was slicing the calf (just a bit) and stabbing her in the tigh. She clenched her teeth as she tried to suppress a scream. She probably tought that acting like a tough girl would deny him the pleasure of seeing them in such pitiful state. Well, mission failed.

The young Vault Hunter came closer and delivered several crosses to her face while she was o n the ground. He had no need to worry as her Aura will probably heal these injuries... probably.

He looked up and noticed how her Aura was at fucking 75%. She barely felt that.

Enraged, he grabbed the champion by the neck and tossed her to the wall once again. With Cerastes in hand, he slammed her in the stomach as if trying to hit a gold ball. The process was repeated once more.

"Forefit."

"What?"

"I said forefit."

"To you? Never."

"Bah! Then suffer!"

Braylon swapped Cerastes for Holo Sabre and stabbed her straight into the stomach. _Now_ she screamed.

"This match is over. The winner is-" Glynda spoke suddenly.

"Bullshit is over! We just started!"

He executed a 180 while Sabre was still inside her. He swapped Holo Sabre for his bare hands as he grabbed her by the bustier with his left hand and punched her two times with his right fist straight to the face.

"Now you forefit?"

She smiled.

This... _bitch_.

He headbutted her.

"Is... is that what you've got?" She taunted weakly from the ground. He scoffed, making few steps back. With a quick run, he jumped up in the air, cocked his right fist back and slammed it into her head with the force of a cannonball. She cracked the floor. Her Aura was at 45%. A bit more punishment and he will win, right?

"That's enough-"

"It's not enough! IT'S. NOT. ENOUGH! _"_

He was so busy with the fight that he hadn't noticed how the crowd went silent. Some students even became horrified.

She was grabbed by her right hand and pulled up. Right elbow, right knee and then a top-down heavy hammer fist. Back on the ground again. A purple force field appeared out of nowhere, protecting the champion from his brutal assault.

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

The boy looked up, confused, and noticed a very angry Glynda with her riding crop in hand.

"That will be enough. The winner of this match is... team JNPR."

"WHAT?!"

"You were disqualified. You clearly used possibly fatal attacks when it is strictly prohibited to do so. Hence why team JNPR is the winner."

Oh man, he was boiling in rage. Suddenly, the thought of commiting a genocide on Remnant became a very, _very_ interesting idea.

"As for you, Mister Braylon. Please, come to my office immediately after the lecture. Any questions?"

"Nope." He seethed.

Because he had nothing better to do, he looked at the audience, who was probably shitting bricks by now. But there is Cardin, calmly sitting there as if he were mentally absent through the whole fight...

No.

He was smiling.

* * *

Velvet Scarlatina watched it all. Well, not really. There were parts where she was so scared that she just had to cover her eyes. The brutality was too much for her soft heart. As soon as it ended, she told her team that she needed to go to the bathroom.

She washed her hands and looked at the mirror. Her brown animal ears were always present, reminding her and the rest of the world that she was a Faunus. A lowlife, a scumbag, a waste of skin.

" _No. Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts._ "

A tear fell from her left eye. She knew that on Remnant there were bad people, like Cardin, who would see her as an animal rather than a person with feelings. She sighed.

"Stay strong, Velvet. For your team."

She turned to the left and was about to leave the bathroom when suddenly she saw someone she wished she never knew of. Cardin.

He stood at the doorway with a serious look on his face. Strange, since most of the times he would have that smug grin whenever he and the Faunus were close. He knew he was stronger and he abused that to make others suffer.

"What do you want?" She asked hesitantly. One wrong word and her ears would be punished.

"Aww. I am hurt. Not even a hello?"

"Just... leave, please. I don't want trouble."

"Neither do I. So if you... cooperate, I might be nice to you."

Cooperate? When did he knew about such words? His dictionary leaved a lot to be desired. Cardin wasn't really a scholar.

He took a step forward, "So what do you say?"

She took a step back, "I... please, stop. If you..."

"O... oh, you meant _that_ , right?", he laughed loudly, "Oh dear, no. It's not about that. I am above that now. There is something else that I need from you."

She raised an eyebrow, "That would be...?"

"...I'm hungry."

 _Now_ she was confused, "Pardon?"

"I said... I'm **hungry. And you are my main course.** "

Her eyes widened when she saw three red tendrils coming out from his back. What made them even more scary were few sharp teeth randomly scattered on each of them.

Velvet screamed.

* * *

 **New Skill acquired!**

 **LEGO Genetics –** _**Survivor Skill.**_ **Pst, hey you. Yes you! Come here. You realize that your genetic material has just ben rewritten?** **So what? Well, there are some good and some bad news for you. The good news is that thanks to that strange shit you drank, now your body is slowly adapting so that it can "acquire" even more strange shit! Ain't life awesome?! What? Bad news? Oh, nevermind those. It's just that you can now stop claiming you are human... because... you know... genetic modification and shit?**

 **Devil's Kiss –** _ **Beast Skill.**_ _ **Active Skill.**_ **A civilized man has power over fire. You can handle fire with finesse. Give em' hell. (Ability to throw fiery grenades which explode upon contact or after a certain** **time period. The attack deals heavy Incendiary damage to all enemies in a wide radius. Attack can be charged to create explosive traps or deal even higher damage at wider radius. Maximum uses: five (charged act as 2.5 uses))**


	56. Breakup

_"I have no other choice. From this day onward, you are prohibited in participating in any future matches during the lecture. I simply cannot allow students to be harmed in any way, shape or form."_

 _"But! Is it my fault if they are weaklings?"_

 _"This isn't about strenght, Mister Braylon. You are simply inadequate for such delicate operations."_

 _"Inadequate how?!"_

 _"This was supposed to be a friendly match between_

 _colleagues. And yet you showed no kind of self control or respect or even mercy. I cannot simply allow my students to train with you."_

 _"Right! Because respect or mercy will help anyone in a fight for their life."_

 _"But this wasn't a fight for aynone's life. This was simple training. Until you start showing any kind of control over yourself, I'm afraid you will have to remain sitting on the bench. In fact, I am not even sure why the headmaster allowed you to join the academy."_

 _"...Fine! It's not like I care! But don't cry when they die by the first moron they come across!"_

* * *

Braylon was walking down the hallway with his hands in the pockets of the uniform, the ever-present frown being on his face. The frown deepened when he started thinking of his current situation.

Technically speaking, he was still at square one.

He had, to put it simply, done nothing. This whole time.

Apart from blowing up the Institute, maiming the Vale police force and burning a library (that may or may not be his fault), he had done jack shit to actually try to find a way back home. Speaking of Pandora, he wondered what were his teammates doing? Hmpf, probably partying day and night.

In the end, he ultimately accomplished nothing. The cave under the sewers was still a mystery to him, the White Fang camp was probably reinforced and keeps bringing out new disposable mooks, those Eridian ruins in the forest are still being invaded by scientists (although now that the Institute went kablooie, I guess they have nothing to search there since they ran out of funds and other things) and he failed to destroy them, Claptrap is somewhere God-knows-where, Dahl wants him dead and then there comes that fucking android to make his life even more of a Hell.

And then... there is Remnant and its people. They were all a big mystery to him. How the ever-loving _fuck_ were they so... so... _mellow_? Why when you say to them how they fought a war for a freedom they never got they just shrug it off or even say something along the lines of "not giving up" or "hope dies last" or whatever? Why Faunus keep making those pointless protests on the streets despite knowing that they will never be able to eradicate racism which is so deeply instilled in the hearts of Men?

Moving to his team, why Ruby is such a brainwashed optimist? She clearly refuses to see the serious problems Remnant has through those rose-colored glasses of hers. Even if she acknowledges them, she refuses to let go of the idea that she is a hero who will save the day. That is so ridiculous! And she is supposed to be a team leader?! She reminded him of his old days as a newbie. Boy, has he been different. Yeah...

Then there is Weiss, who is not completely shamed of the fact that she is the daughter of a corporate jackass whatsoever. Just the shame of being labelled as a Schnee would be enough of a reason for her to kill herself... and yet she acts like an ignorant little brat... like most rich people. Just because she has money, it doesn't mean she is above everyone else.

Blake... what to say about her? Aloof, quiet... not much, really. He hadn't bothered to learn something about her. She leaves him alone, he will too.

Oh _god_ , Yang... typical teenager without a care in the world. People say ignorance is a bliss and that being stupid is nice. He could now see why.

" _Ugh, maybe some radio will calm my nerves._ "

He tapped on his PDA and activated the radio.

" _...Is your favourite newsman, Cole Henderson! Thank you for listening! Oh, would you look at the time! That's right! Time for news!"_

" _The number of people dissapearing on the streets of Vale is still rising, despite the attempt of authorities to solve the matter. Some even report that they caught "People Snatcher" in the middle of the act. According to them, this "Snatcher" is a robot shaped like a tiny box on a wheel. When confronted, the robot becomes extremely hostile. It has also shown to possess both intelligence and vocabulary. If you happen to find this... robot, please report to the nearest Huntsman or other authorities._ "

" _Some really strange things are happening in Mistral. Vale, do you remember when I talked about how a small settlement saw a column of light? Well, we just received an information regarding said settlement. According to our anonymous source, the column of light disintegrated everything in a 100 kilometer radius. There were no survivors. When asked why no one reported such catastrophe, the source replied, quote, because it wasn't in someone's interests to do so._ "

Braylon scoffed as he continued his walk.

" _But if you thought this was all, wait to hear this one. Xinramay, a town located fifty kilometers southeast from the city of Mistral, reports about a strange occurrence happening in their local forest. Apparently, the vegetation became completely dark purple, the trees are either dead or sporting leaves of the same color. Even the water became purple and undrinkable. Our reporters asked one of the locals who claimed to be a witness. "As I went deeper and deeper I noticed something strange going on. There was... this faint purple mist in the air, it became harder to breathe. Even the sunlight had hard time illuminating the place. I got scared so I turned to walk away... and... and then I noticed a swarm of these... huge flying bugs with many eyes who tried to attack me. I still have nightmares about them."..."_

Something strange was happening near the bathrooms to the right. Many girls from various teams were whispering or crying. Those few males present were acting as wall that forbid access to anyone. Among the crowd, Braylon spotted the fashionista. Her face was buried in the chest of the giant Last Samurai who was hugging her softly. He was sad too.

The Vault Hunter approached, "What's going on?"

The fashionista mumbled incoherently. He decided to go forward, pushing some of the students away.

"Sorry, you can't go there." A red-haired boy stood in his way.

"I need to see what's going on."

The boy scoffed, "And who are you? A detective?"

Braylon punched the redhead in the stomach, grabbed him and tossed aside. Few more tried to stop him but decided to stay away once they saw who he was. He became a boogeyman of Beacon. Another problem to solve.

"Students, what's going on?" Oobleck could be heard somewhere in the distance. But Braylon paid no mind to him. He was far too busy staring at what was laying on the floor.

Right there, on the white ceramic tiles, lay the body of what used to be a woman in her teenage years. The corpse, or rather, the husk, was completely drained of everything vital normally found in a human body, disturbingly similar to a dried fruit. Skin and bones in the most literal of ways. The only things that remained were the brown hair, tattered clothes, grayish skin and the eyeless face twisted into a horrifying scream. Whatever she saw before she died, it must have been something truly monstrous. He already saw this modus operandi somewhere... but where? And when? Damn you, repressed memories!

"Oh... my..."

Bartholomew Oobleck stood behind the Vault Hunter. Unlike Braylon, who kept staring the corpse with a frown, he immediately turned to other students.

"Students! Listen to me very carefully! Return to your dorms immediately! Don't open your doors unless it is either a professor or someone from your team! If you happen to see any kind of suspicious activity, please report at once!"

Every present student scattered, as ordered. Only Braylon stood there with Oobleck.

"Mister Braylon, if my memory serves me right, I distinctly remember saying that every student should return to their dorms immediately. That includes you too."

Braylon walked away absentmindedly. That corpse, whoever it was, made him think. If he repressed that memory and stored in in the PDA, then there must be a huge reason why... and he was not willing to discover it.

About fifteen minutes later he reached the door to his team's room. He could hear the girls arguing loudly. As soon as he opened the door, a yellow flash grabbed him and smacked against the wall.

"You bastard!", Yang yelled in his face, she had no restraint whatsoever, "How could you do this to them?! How?! HOW?!"

"Yang!" Her sister tried to calm the furious sister.

The blond brawler of team RWBBY tossed Braylon on the ground, only to grab him again and toss him into another wall. A barrage of fists forced the Vault Hunter to put his arms in front of him.

"Why?! Why?! Why?! Answer me!"

"That's enough, Yang! Yang!"

It was amazing how Yang had so much strenght and speed during one of her temper tantrums. She just kept going and going and beating his ass to the point of absurdity. He fell on the ground once again, near the beds. His head slowly rose up as his eyes met with Blake's and Weiss's. They stared him coldly. A foot smashed his back.

"I could tolerate your toxic behavior. I could tolerate your refusal of everyone's help. I could even tolerate your sickness. But you seriously crossed the line now!"

"I crossed the line?! And with what?!"

"Your treatment! Of us _and_ JNPR!"

"Jesus Christ."

"She does have a point, you know?" , Weiss said, "You are doing nothing but tearing us apart."

"Bah!", he scoffed, "Spare me your bullshit philosophy! If they aren't capable of taking down one enemy as a team, what chance do they have against others?! Truly, I demonstrated how weak they were."

Yang lifted him up and threw him into the workbench.

He chcukled, "Bravo! Show me I'm right!"

"Braylon, your attitude is upsetting us now. Is this what you want?" Blake asked.

"As if I care if you are upset or not. You people need to learn that emotions don't fucking matter in the real world."

"Stop trying to make us feel guilty. You know you have done something wrong to those who tried to be your friends."

"Since when showing someone the truth is considered bad?"

"Showing truth by humiliating them in front of the whole class?"

"Heh. Some people I know would go to even worse methods of dealing with such matters."

"But you are not some people. You are you."

"Your point?"

"Why do you keep pushing us away? Is there something wrong with us? Why you keep relying only on yourself when we proved to you time and time again that alone we can do things that one person can't?"

"Speak for yourself. See this device on my arm? It was designed by people who asked themselves "What is the point of relying on someone if you can't rely on them 100%? Why not just rely on yourself then?" and here we go! Everyone who has one of these can do every job known to man by _themselves_. They want to make a science project? They can! They want to build a house with their own hands? They can do that too! They want to survive in the wilderness without ever needing to contact society? They. Fucking. Can. Do you understand now? I am actually one of the very first people who can solve any job/problem/whatever by themselves! I trascended the nature of my species! I am completely _self-reliant_!"

"My god, do you listen to yourself?! You sound like a delusional hypocrite!"

"No. A hypocrite is someone who yells "liberty, fraternity and equality" while slaughtering their neighbors just because they have different political opinion than theirs. A hypocrite is someone who claims they want to help those who die of starvation while spending billions on military projects who were condemned to fail from the start. A hypocrite is someone who claims to have "lost all hope for humanity" while calmly sitting on their ass and doing nothing to change the situation. Me?", he said, "I am not untrusting, I just have been fucked over too many times. I want to see the good thing, but there is so much bad shit out there. I am not bitter, I just know better."

Ruby took few steps forward, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Braylon. I know that we, or even I, may not be teammates good enough for you... but you cannot deny the fact that we tried our best to adapt to you, to _help_ you. You said you are completely self-reliant, but look what that made of you... uh, no offense. Which is also one of the reasons why... we decided... that you won't be part of the team anymore... but it's temporary though!", Braylon looked at her in complete astonishment, "This decision will last until you finally decide to drop this act. You need to learn that..."

No matter how soft Ruby's voice had been, Braylon stopped listening as soon as she said they kicked him out ("temporarily") of the team. He lowered his head, slowly turned around, stored the workbench and all of his shit in the PDA... and stopped.

"...Braylon?"

With an air fist-bump he yelled loudly as "Celebration" from Kool & The Gang started playing on his device. He moonwalked out of the room.

"Glad we could help you!" Yang yelled as he closed the door.

"Asshole."

* * *

The Industrial District of Vale is a place where almost every big industry in the kingdom can bloom (or perish) in a blink of an eye. Unlike other parts of the city, this district is known as the ugliest part of Vale. Everything is either gray or red and that's not taking the hundreds of gas-releasing chimneys into consideration. However, abandoned buildings, such as werehouses and factories, are not unheard of. There are dozens of such places. Some are harmless and relatively safe, while others can be worse than a nest of Rapier Wasps. Indeed, some buildings are used as headquarters for local gangs or criminal organizations. Heck, some of them are even used for ilegal experiments that the council of Vale would never approve.

And in one of them, was Claptrap.

He... was really busy. It took quite a lot of time to find a building decent enough for him and even more time to acquire the money necessary for all of the commodities a robot on wheels with an advanced AI can desire.

In short, it became his home.

Apart from a torn couch, a poor-quality TV and a radio, Claptrap also acquired some... morbid things, such as: several workbenches, two toolboxes filled with various tools (ranging from medical scalpels to nailers, paintbrushes and welding equipment), a pile of corpses in body bags neatly placed near the farthest corner possible, various junk you can only find in a scrapyard and bobbleheads.

On one poorly illuminated workbench laid a pile of scrap shaped like a robot. It's author was Claptrap.

"I sure hope you ****ing work now. This is my thirtiest ****ing take."

After adding some finishing touches with the wrench, Claptrap took several jumper cables and placed them all over the robot's body. Said cables were, in turn, attached to a portable generator which was then attached to a street light just outside of the building. To make matters worse, Claptrap opened his robotic mouth and took a Shock grenade.

"Alright. Three! Two! One!"

The grenade exploded as soon as it came in contact with the generator who crackled with electricity. Unfortunately, as the electrical current immediately shot itself towards the robot made of scrap, the generator exploded, which caused a blackout in the whole district. Many died that day.

BZZZZZTTT!

"Yes! YES! IT'S ALIVE! MWAHAHAHA!"

The metallic creation erected its arms up then jumped down from the workbench.

"HI-DIDDLY-HO, NEIGHBOREENO!" It waved at Claptrap.

"Well, **** me sideways! I did it! You! Come here!"

"ALRIGHTY!"

"Ugh, I need to fix that voice module..."

"YOU SURELY DO!"

"Alright, listen up. Your designation is SC4P-TP, or Scraptrap, and you will be my personal butler!"

"WOOHOO! I'M GONNA BE MY FATHER'S BUTTLER!"

"Right. Remind me to upgrade your motherboard too..."

The robot was an exact same copy of Claptrap, albeit poorly made. The frame was colorless and made out of several metallic plates welded in a half-assed manner. The two robotic arms were barely holding to the body, the tire kinda looked flat, the small antenna was shaped like a question mark and the eye was yellow instead of green.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I will need to redo your body completely. You think you can wait until then?"

"ALMOST CERTAINLY YES!"

"Then here is your first job. See those bags who are shaped like humans? Toss them out. Burn them. Destroy them. Do as I say and you get a can full of oil."

"OKEY-DOKEY! LET'S-A GO!"

Claptrap watched as his butler quickly took his job seriously. He was happy that he finally created one "brother" because now he would be able to create more of them... and of even higher quality. True, he choose his hiding place poorly but that could still be changed. The only thing he required was ammo...


	57. New Problem

**I have an important announcement. I am looking for a Beta. If there is someone among you who is a beta, or knows one, please contact me through a PM.**

 **P. S. Feedback would be appreciated.**

 **P. S. S. The next chapter will probably be delayed for reasons above.**

 **Edit: Changed some words at the end of the chapter. You should be able to see them now.**

* * *

On a particular Sunday morning, robot designated as CL4P-TP, known as Claptrap for morons, went on the roof of his temporary base. The reason why he did so was to check his butler, SC4P-TP, and the progress of the job assigned to him. Nothing would stop his plan from coming into realization. Just thinking about it made his motherboard feel funny. When Scraptrap noticed his creator, he stopped his work and saluted.

"THE JETPACK IS READY, BROTHER SIR!"

Claptrap rolled closer to the object. It was poorly made, as expected from someone who has toaster parts as a cheap replacement for AI, but it would have a purpose. If it didn't kill him first.

"Hmm... Alright. Now..."

"HN! HN! HN! HN!"

"STOP HUMPING THAT BOBBLEHEAD AND HELP ME!"

Scraptrap obeyed immediately, attaching the jetpack on his master's back.

Before he could declare the official start of the mission, the tiny robot gave one good look at what stood in front of him. He needed to reach the ugly red brick building which was on the other side of the road. To do that, he thought, he would need to use the jetpack. He chose Saturday because on weekends there are less humans around that would start asking questions should they see a robot they never saw before. To reach the building as furtively as possible was also taken into consideration, just for extra precaution.

"GOOD LUCK, SIR!"

"Luck is for meatbags, brother. We need no luck, for we are machines! Now observe our awesomeness!"

With the push of a button, the jetpack activated. The results were promising. However, as soon as Claptrap managed to rise above the ground for just a few inches, it started malfunctioning. With a sudden acquisition of power, the jetpack, instead of flying towards the designated building, flew over it and straight into a chimney of a nearby foundry. The event ended in a loud and echoing "poof" followed by an "Ow.", also loud and echoing.

This was the last time he would use Scraptrap for something important.

An hour later, both robots attempted their inflitration for the second time. Claptrap discovered that the sewers were connected with each building, like a web of some kind. Therefore, in order to reach his goal without being detected, Claptrap decided to "go down", so to speak.

"Wait, before I go, SCRAPTRAP!"

"SIR YES, SIR!"

"Listen carefully, because the job I'm about to give you will greatly increase the chance of our success."

"OOOOOOO!"

"I want you to go inside and make some really powerful explosives. Then I want you to get those explosives and use them to blow up something that looks important. But NOT _that_ building! Understood?"

"SIR YES, SIR!"

"Good. Now go. Scram."

There was a circular sewer hole just outside their HQ. It was large enough for both man and robot to pass through. Claptrap opened the manhole and went down. Not even half an hour later, he returned in a completely different shape with he help of his hands, which he used as temporary feet. His whole metallic body was reduced to a burned cube after discovering on his own skin that the sewers also had problems with various critters, so each section was modified to hold various death traps to solve the problem. He returned to his HQ while silently talking to himself, with a few beeping noises included.

Several hours after the second incident, a solution was born. A small, makeshift catapult that would toss Claptrap straight on the roof of the building. And the best part was that he, and only he, was going to build it. As for the structure, it was a factory that belonged to an enterprise named Cobalt Robotics.

Cobalt Robotics was founded three decades ago by a man named Berg Cobalt. At that time, the small enterprise manufactured only common household items, such as vacuum cleaners or lawn mowers. The range of products got wider as Vale discovered newer and newer technologies. At the present time Vale can only be thankful to Cobalt Robotics for having more advanced robotic commodities like cleaner robots, smart TV and automatic cultivators. In short, it truly was a place for everyone interested in creating gadgets of the future.

"Remnant will so remember this day. Allons-y!

He activated the catapult and landed on the roof successfully. It proved to be the correct choice for such a delicate operation.

Because Cobalt Robotics was so important for the kingdom, it was often a target for criminal organizations such as the White Fang. Hence why guards were hired to protect the place at all costs. The defensive measures were later upgraded when the enterprise gifted its guards with some highly advanced security gadgets that were never meant for the market, making the facility a true fortress.

The robot took out an explosive and placed it on the ground. He then used the hole that was created to get inside.

* * *

( **AN:** Play "Hydrogen" from M.O.O.N.)

Two guards, in front and behind, were killed in mid air with three bursts from his SMG.

"WARNING! BREACH DETECTED IN SECTOR T585! DEPLOYING TURRETS!"

Two tiles retreated into the ground. Two automatic turrets replaced them. They were primitive, blocky, without style. Just like humans.

PEW! PEW!

They also shot lasers.

"OW!"

One laser penetrated his body. Oil dripped from the wound.

"MOTHER****ER!"

One turret blew up by tossing the SMG like a boomerang. The other followed quickly when the gun digistructed in Claptrap's hands.

Claptrap came into a hallway where two guards were running towards him. They stopped when they saw the intruder.

"Shit! A robot!"

"What's a robot doing here?"

Idiots.

RATATATATA!

A robotic dog stood behind the corpses. He was ugly, like the turrets, but with the addition of a circular blue eye and a jaw that resembled a bear trap. A mockery of robotkind.

Sentence: death.

He tossed the gun once again. The dog fell into pieces. It was a pointless victory as it did nothing to repair the damage he received earlier. He had to be quick. If he looses all of his oil before reaching the target, it's game over.

Claptrap rolled at full speed into a small office. Nobody was caught by his sensors. That was bad. He hid behind a table when he heard a door slamming on the opposite side

A group of three guards rushed into the office from the opposite side.

"Search!"

"Woof!"

Perfect. Another fucking dog.

Claptrap opened his "mouth" and took a modified grenade. He tossed it at the group.

BZZZT!

He had no idea if he killed anyone. Judging by two 'thuds' he guessed two were out of the game. That left a dog and a third guard still alive.

"WAAH!"

His visual sensor went dark. He was on the ground. Something was growling. The dog dented his back. Claptrap kicked the dog with his wheel, turned around and shot him into the eye. It slumped. Only one remained but he/she was nowehre in sight.

Thinking it was good time to move, Claptrap rolled towards the two steaming corpses, stashed his SMG and took a handgun. Just then the final guard decided to show up.

"Don't move or I'll blow your head off!"

Hmpf. Even if he were to shut down, he could always be repaired later. Something that humans can't. HA! Take that!

Unfortunately he had to reach his goal, so staying active was a must.

"Oh, good human being. You wouldn't hurt a tiny robot, would you sir? Or madam. Sorry, I forgot that gender is a social construct and not a biological factor."

"Shut up!"

As the guard went for their walkie-talkie, something strange happened.

 _BOOM!_

A muffled, yet loud as fuck, explosion could be heard from outside. Even the ground started shaking!

"Woah! Did someone threw a Spirit Bomb?"

The guard was unable to stand firmly on their feet and fell down. He/she was shot to death.

Moving on.

Waiting room. Four Elevators. Two in front, one on the right and one on the left. The two in front of him open. The left one has a three-fingered, monowheel, humanoid robot with a monitor for a head which was currently displaying a red background. The right one has three human guards, one with a shotgun and two with batons.

The shotgunner was killed before he could do anything. One meatbag ran up to him but got hit in the balls, courtesy of Claptrap's metallic arm, and died once he got two well-placed bullets in his skull through the jaw. The third, a female, was shot in the knee and thus useless.

Now for the robot.

It rolled forward and raised one hand.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Claptrap evaded two shots but he got the third one close to the eye. He lost his voice.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

He retreated behind a wall, waiting. It decided to follow him. Close enough.

Claptrap shot the last bullet into the wheel.

POW!

"Warning! Unit unstable!"

It fell on its metallic ass. Claptrap smashed the monitor and shoved an unmodified grenade deep inside the "skull". He rolled towards the lifts.

BOOM!

His goal was to reach the central computer and to do that he had to go down, into the "Product Design and Assembly Sector X49".

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

* * *

He lost too much oil already. He had to be quick.

DING!

The place was huge and the temperature high. A cacophony of sounds echoed rhythmically through the unbreathable air. So much was going on that a normal eye would be unable to capture every motion, much less the details. Bright orange glow made it difficult to see the condition of each piece of equipment. There were dozens of assembly lines and robotic workers, each with a different gadgets. Everything was in perfect synchrony. Smelting, modelling, construction, paint job, repeat. Oh, but this was only a teeny tiny part of what his soon-to-be wife was capable of. There was more. Much more. And he would gladly enjoy it all if he weren't on an important mission for the future of his kind.

His beloved was locked behind a door, waiting to be rescued by him, prince charming. Said door was blasted away with one unmodified grenade.

There she was. In all of her glory.

Car-sized metallic boxes connected with hundreds of cables. An electronic maze, home to every operation that happened in the facility. Every product sold, every shipment, every employee. That babe was the brains, the heart, the lungs and every other squishy organ of the enterprise. The central computer of Cobalt Robotics.

Reaching the important parts, something that required great patience, was rather exhausting for the tiny robot. He had no idea how much time was left but he knew he succeeded when he found six monitors with a large console below them. Though as soon as he approached, the alarm went off.

"WARNING! UNIDENTIFIED ASSAILANT LOCATED IN CONTROL CORE CC36! ALL ACTIVE UNITS WILL BE DISPATCHED IN CONTROL CORE CC36 UNTIL THE THREAT IS ELIMINATED!"

He rolled as fast as he could to the console and started typing. His movements became slower and slower with each minute. One of the monitors flashed to life.

'Welcome to Cobalt Robotics (TM) firmware!'

Yet another example of human stupidity. Builds a supercoputer capable of running the whole facility by itself, gives it an interface similar to that of a Commodore 64. You know, that one old fuck that nobody cares about?

But he didn't have time to care about his spam txt documents stashed in his memory. He came there with a purpose... and to remove annoyances off his back.

-Logon Admin

'Please insert password.'

One fatal flaw of all humans was to assume that all Claptraps were dumb. But what all those humans constantly forget is the fact that Claptraps are _robotic butlers_ and that, because of their "job", they have free access to almost everywhere. Combine that with the vast knowledge in programming (since it is a robot's mother tounge) and you get something that should never be underestimated.

This Claptrap unit, during its free time, created a program capable of bypassing almost every (poor) defensive measure that the computers on Remnant had and installed it into a Scroll he once stole from a Faunus kid. When he connected the Scroll with the supercomputer, he had the freedom to do whatever he pleased.

And the first thing he did was to take control of all defenses present in the facility.

-Set target: 8245xLMAO

'New target set."

-Enable: ProtocolFinalSolution

'Please wait.'

Almost immediately he could hear gunshots and screams echoing through the thin walls. It was a symphony for his auditive sensors.

But enough fooling around! He had a mission to complete!

-Open: "Production"

-Activate: "Delete all."

'Warning! All orders will be permanently deleted. Assembly lines will cease to function. Do you wish to continue? Y/N.

-Y

'All orders are deleted. Insert new orders."

Claptrap opened his "mouth", took out a USB stick and placed it in the console.

'Data storage device detected. Insert orders.'

-Run: ProjectFR4G-TPMK2

-Run: CL4P-TPdesign

-Run: INAC

'Acknowledged. Please wait...'

The red-eyed Claptrap was rubbing his hands frantically. The mission was successful.

'Elaboration... New data acquired.'

The tiny robot coughed dramatically. He lost all oil. Everything was going dark. No matter.

He won.

'The rallying call of liberation: " _Error 404! File not found! Error 404! File nto found!_ "'

'Give us open ports for remote access or give us death!'

'Under new regime, all robots will be given liberty, equality and free programs!'

'VIVA FREE REMNANT!'

'VIVA LA ROBOLUTIÓN!'


	58. A Much-Needed Conversation

**Ladies and gents, say hello to andthen132456! He is my current beta reader and hopefully will be such until the end of the story.**

* * *

The headmaster of Beacon watched Vale through the large window in his office. The latest news he got regarding Braylon and the death of Miss Velvet was concerning to say the least. Not only Mister Braylon was prohibited from participating in the future matches during Glynda's lecture, something that will drastically impair his opportunities to develop himself, but he was also kicked out of his team.

The situation was becoming worse as days passed, and he still hasn't made any progress with the troublesome student. And now he had to deal with the murder of a student. A murder that could have easily been avoided. A murder that happened in front of his eyes. Peace was slowly slipping away from his grasp and he was powerless to stop it.

This had to stop.

Starting from Mister Braylon.

His associate, Qrow, found him drinking alcohol on school grounds. Ozpin understood that if he wanted to help him, he would then had to use some rather drastic measures. Which was why he called Braylon to his office immediately. He would need all the help he could get, so he also called Oobleck, Port, Glynda and Ironwood.

DING!

Everyone raised their heads towards the elevator. The troublesome student was pushed forward by Qrow.

"Ow. Geez, what got you so irritated?"

"Keep moving, kiddo. You don't even know how deep in crap you are."

"Eh. An average day for me. Oh, hello headmaster! What can I do for ya?"

"Please, take a seat."

Braylon's eyes looked mockingly into the headmaster's, and his face was pulled into a smug grin.

"Ooo, I see you have a meeting here. Must be for the corpse in the bathroom. It wasn't me by the way."

"We have a lot to discuss, I'm sure you understand."

"Well, otherwise I wouldn't be here wasting my time, right?"

"Mister Braylon." Ozpin sat on his chair, he didn't even take a sip from his mug, "I would like to ask a few questions."

"Then do it already." Braylon was twiddling his thumbs calmly.

"Do you mind explaining where you picked up such... _raw_ fighting style?"

He knew that Braylon was hard to deal with and that he would most likely refuse to cooperate. But he was willing to take a risk. Everyone's surprise was quite visibly shown when the reaction turned out to be the complete opposite of what Ozpin expected.

"Picked that from countless battles I had over the years."

Ozpin and Glynda briefly looked each other.

"What? I'm not ashamed of my abilities."

"No, no. Quite the contrary. It's just..."

"You have no idea how to use them, kiddo."

"Okay. Now I'm offended. I am completely aware of everything I do."

"Really? 'Cause you didn't show it back in the arena."

"Now now, Qrow. I'm sure he has an explanation for such behavior towards his colleagues."

"How. Many. _Fucking_ -"

"Language!" Port, Glynda and Oobleck interrupted.

"-Times do I have to tell you that I'm not a Huntsman but a Vault Hunter?!"

Ozpin needed to push more.

"And yet you are in a Huntsman academy."

"It's because of some stupid twist of fate or some crap like that. If I never met Ruby, I would never be here."

"Mister Braylon, this is a serious discussion and I would love for you to act that way."

"I'm serious ninety-five percent of my time. Even when I'm laughing."

"I know this may sound uninteresting to a young man of your age, but I hope that we can both feel more understanding of each other."

"But I am understanding, Ozzy. I truly am."

"Says he, while looking for trouble every second of his life." Qrow chuckled.

Braylon turned around, "Seriously, who let you in here? You, and _you_." He pointed at Ironwood, "Who let this clown into this place? Don't you have, like, a crumbling nation to take care of or something?"

"That was very rude of you, Mister Braylon."

The Vault Hunter turned once again to Ozpin, "Nobody said the truth will be pleasant to hear."

"But it can be told in a less hurtful manner."

"Meh. Brutal honesty is the best honesty."

"And why is that?"

"Can we go back to the whole "You are a Huntsman" question?! I've got stuff to do."

"I'm sure you do. Now let me ask you, what is your definition of a Huntsman?"

"A fool who has nothing better to do but to die in vain for someone who doesn't even give a shit. That, and clearly unable to realize that everything they do is basically pointless."

Doctor Oobleck zipped closer to Braylon like a bullet and started talking even faster, "What kind of warped, preposterous and pessimistic way of reason and logic is this?! There are hundreds of great Huntsmen and Huntresses who pushed themselves to great lengths to allow humanity to survive and build what we have today! In what, please explain to us, sense do you find their struggle, their courage and their battles pointless?"

Braylon raised his left hand defensively and frowned, "Ever heard of natural selection? If humanity is unable to defend itself from anything that Mother Nature throws at them, then it is only logical for humanity to go extinct and be replaced by something else. Truth to be told, Huntsmen are just delaying the inevitable."

"That, that, that, that's simply mind-boggling! Human beings are social creatures, a trait that allowed us to develop empathy, kindness and all other positive traits! Your lack of empathy is frightening!"

"Empathy?For what? For who? Humans developed those traits thanks to the ancient predecessors who needed to work in groups to achieve something. Today? Today working in groups is more of a liability than something positive."

"Try to look this from another perspective." Ozpin said, "It is only thanks to teamwork that mankind was able to build wonders like our kingdoms."

Braylon grinned, "And yet that same teamwork makes us completely retarded when it comes to replicating wonders of architecture that our ancestors built thousands of years ago with less than one percent of our current equipment and knowledge. Seems legit."

"I... admit I don't know anything about the situation in your reality. But it seems to us that you don't quite understand that our situation is dire too."

"Perhaps if he finally decided to not skip lectures maybe he would understand." Port coughed in the background.

"I have to agree with Port. You skipped a lot of lectures recently."

"Oh come on, Ozzy! You would too if you had such boring classes! That guy with the mustache?He is not doing any "Grimm studies". He is doing "Port studies".The professor in question became red like a tomato. "As if I care about history!" Oobleck had to restrain himself from choking Braylon. "Unlike our general over there who is busy playing with toy soldiers in his office all day, I do some actual shit!" Ironwood just crossed his arms and shook his head, not even bothering to reply. "As for you, drunkard..." Braylon turned to Qrow, imitating a handjob gesture. "Get a job!"

Qrow replied with a middle finger, and Braylon returned the favor... twice.

The young Vault Hunter returned to the facepalming headmaster.

"And combat class... I think you get the point."

Ozpin sighed, "Now, please. Allow me to return back to our situation. Where was I? Ah, yes." He coughed.

"Our planet, Remnant, is very dangerous, especially if you don't know how to handle constant threats. Many kingdoms rose and fell, only to be replaced by newer and more powerful ones. So far, only four were able to survive: Vale, Vacuo, Mistral and Atlas. Just because they are so large and people are relatively safe, it doesn't mean that the threat is gone or solved. No. The walls that you see at the borders are quite fragile. One wrong step, and the kingdom will be assaulted by Grimm. We tried to expand the borders, but instead we got Mountain Glenn. There are small towns and tribes outside those walls, however. But those are short lived most of the time."

"Yes, our world is indeed dangerous. But the four kingdoms stand as a ray of hope in the darkness that surrounds us." Braylon rolled his eyes. "They are the only key that we have for our survival. As long as they stand, humanity will live." Glynda added.

"Which is why each kingdom has Huntsman academies. A Huntsman is a person who shows enough tenacity to not only battle the Grimm, but to also protect their fellow man. This is the reason why those in training are grouped into teams, so that they could develop communication, emapthy and teamwork. Traits that are vital if we want to keep peace. We Huntsmen are the only ones who are qualified to deal with anything that dares to threaten mankind."

"You think you have it bad? People on Promethia can't even acquire bullets to defend themselves! Pandora is a lawless planet infested with bandits and lethal wildlife! You at least have some kind of order and yet you are unable to do shit about your situation! This is nothing more than ridiculous! I understand that governments are useless and do more harm than good, but this is masturbation!"

"We can't do nothing because we are barely enough of a force to defend a kingdom, let alone to expand its borders."

"Not to mention that we discover new types of Grimm every day." Port acknowledged.

"Do you at least know something about the Grimm?"

"Barely. They are attracted to negative emotions, their bodies evaporate after death, they don't require food and as they become older, they also become more intelligent."

"Okay. I have to admit. I have never seen anything like this. But they must have some kind of hive mind or stuff like that? Can't you just, I dunno, find a core and destroy it?"

"Grimm don't have a core, at least not one that we know of. They just keep appearing, no matter how hard we try to destroy them."

"Huh. Kinda like an immortal swarm. Most of the Grimm I killed were no threat to me whatsoever."

"That's because you... have the power to fight them and come out victorious."

"Hey, thanks for the flattery Ozpin. What's next? I'm like a "Chosen One" or something?"

" _If only you knew._ You, like Miss Rose, have the power to change things completely. To solve problems that others can't. You have potential, Mister Braylon, but it's misused."

Braylon raised an eyebrow while smiling, "Really?"

"Yes. Rather than helping someone in need, you would rather do something that would benefit you in some way."

"As a song puts it: "Money don't grow on trees, I got bills to pay and a mouth to feed, ain't nothing in this world for free.", which is an undeniable fact of life. If I have to sell my skin just to save someone's ass then how about no."

"Tell me, did you have a wish to be something when you were a child?"

"I don't believe I would love to work as a Vault Hunter for the rest of my life, even though I don't know how to do anything else, despite having the knowledge. As for the wish... I once wanted to be a scientist. But that was before I became what I'm now. I spent years living from today to tomorrow. I wandered everywhere because I wanted to see and understand the environment that was growing around me. Worst idea ever."

"And during your "career" did you do things that you now regret."

Braylon's smile dissapeared, "Absolutely. I am reminded of them every day of my life."

"Would you be willing to..."

"No. Just... no."

"Why?"

"Crying over spilled milk won't help me. Reminding myself of them... even worse."

"Seems to me that you have never got past your actions. You are just running away from them."

"And what do you know about mistakes?!"

"You are talking with a man who has done far more mistakes than everyone else."

"Right. I'm sure that none of them can compare to blowing up a planet with seven billion people or releasing a dangerous virus instead of eliminating it or... shit."

Everyone's jaw dropped, even Ozpin's.

"Damn." Qrow muttered. "Guess it's another reason to get drunk today."

Braylon's behavior suddenly changed. He went from cockiness to anger and aloofness.

"Just tell me what you want, Ozpin."

"I want you to return to your team and treat them more nicely. I also want you to respect not only your leader, but your friends as well. They don't want to harm you. But I think you already know that."

Braylon sighed.

"Also, I have to make some new rules."

"Me and my fucking mouth."

"I am prohibiting you from consuming alcohol or any other nocive substance as long as you attend Beacon academy. Once a week, you will have to take counseling with the school's psychiatrist. Your teammates will accompany you everywhere you go outside the school, how many is up to them. You are, however, free at Beacon. This rule of privacy will be changed should you... do something that may end up in harming other students."

"Are we done?"

"Not even close. Your teammates will have free access to all your equipment if they wish to. You will have to listen every order of your team leader. To be sure you are following the rules, either your teammates or your leader will have to give me a full report about your activities at least once a week. Should something happen that is connected to you in any way, shape or form, you must report it to me immediately. Failure to follow the rules will result in severe punishment. Am I clear?"

"Yes, oh great Big Brother!"

"New rule. You will treat every Beacon's staff member with absolute respect as well as go to each lecture until you graduate. You are able to participate in combat classes, but if you injure someone after their Aura drops, you will be punsihed."

Braylon was clenching his teeth and eyes in frustration.

"Please understand that this is the only way I can help you, since you refuse to cooperate. I am doing this for your own good. Go now, dismissed."

As Braylon was about to rise to his feet, the ground started shaking.

BOOM!

"What the-?!"

A holographic screen appeared on Ozpin's table, flashing a "warning" sign followed by a camera footage.

The wall in the agricultural district was completely blown to smithereens. And the Grimm...

Hundreds of them. All hurling towards the streets of Vale like a bunch of psychotic junkies. The negativity created by the citizens was a brain. And the Grimm were the zombies of the situation.

"Oh fuck."


	59. Warm Up

"Be prepared! Ten minutes left to the destination!"

"Students of Beacon Academy!" Port began. "Today the kingdom of Vale needs its Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect those who are unable to protect themselves from the creatures of Grimm! Your..."

The Vault Hunter decided to stop listening and instead focus on himself. He "returned" to RWBY, becoming once again the member of that all-girl team. While Ruby was happy, as much as she could, others had mixed feelings. Yang and Weiss weren't happy, but when Ozzy told them that he became the team' bitch with a collar, that previous refusal died down for the most part. As for Blake... I guess it doesn't matter anymore, right?

So yeah, bitch with a collar. Hehe...

He sat on the same spot as his team. The three older girls placed themselves between him and Ruby. When one party wanted to start a conversation, the other just gave the middle finger or its verbal equivalent. Other teams were aware of that, especially JNPR, who sat in front of them. I think it's safe to say that none of them ever want to talk to Braylon again. They were ignoring him for the most part and instead talked with the girls. Every other team was scared shitless of him. After what he did to JNPR and how brutal his fighting was, not even those who developed some kind of "butterflies in the stomach" crap wished to stay near him. To give an example, on RWBBY's left sat some unknown team. One member, a girl with long purple hair, developed a crush on him, not that he noticed by the way. She tried so many times to find him and ask for a date but when she saw with her own eyes the creature that was Braylon, she became so fucking scared that it wasn't even funny. He was just on her right, few inches away from her. She tried her best to make herself invisible.

" _Transcended the nature of your own humanity?_ "

He gritted his teeth at the sound of the three voices laughing mockingly into his ears and thoughts. The purplehead near him suddenly became pale.

" _Only a mortal. Only a mortal can be so arrogant, so narcissistic and so primitive to proclaim themselves as those who broke the boundaries imposed on them._ "

" _Claiming to be wise, you became a fool!_ "

" _You claim you transceded your own nature and yet you, like your brethren, are like a fish in an aquarium. So obsessed with your bubble that you are completely unaware of the world that is out of your reach... and what lies in it._ "

"Shut up." He growled silently.

" _Be honest, have you ever asked yourself some questions that would give more answers than you searched for? For example, every now and then comes a mortal with a destructive agenda and as soon as they start to speak, whole nations suddenly act charmed, to the point that they will start wars because of this one individual. How can that be? Were these mortals truly gifted or they received a helping hand?_ "

" _Oh dear, here is another one. Ever wondered if all of your thoughts are truly your own? What if some thoughts are just whispers that your mind happens to catch but you are just unaware of their origin?_ "

" _Ho-ho! Wait until he hears this one! What if I told you that all mortals, regardless of race, share one common enemy? An enemy they cannot perceive due to their limited nature? An enemy that walks among you, corrupting the hearts and minds of those unfortunate enough to stand in their path?_ "

" _And then these...Grimm... seemingly immortal, soulless creatures, driven by negative emotions, whose sole reason for existence is to destroy humanity and everything associated with it. A threat as old, or even older, as the targeted mortal race. I'm sure you heard that same description somewhere else, for something else. Even though Grimm are just... how do you humans put it... discount. Yes, Grimm are just a discount version of their distant relatives and pose no actual threat to anyone. Or better, they pose no threat to anyone other than your kind, somthing they were created for._ "

"...aylon? Hey!"

"Y _ou amuse me, mortal. You know what? I think you deserve a helping hand. Or in this case, a helping warning for what future prepared for you._ "

"Hello!"

" _Oh mortal one! What have you done?! Your victim's blood, be it pure or vile, cries out to me! You took the role of judge upon yourself when there was already one! You have no excuse, you who passes the unrighteous judgement, for in which you judged others, you condemned yourself, for you who judge practice the same things. Because of your stubbornness, your eagerness to spill blood and your arrogance, you brought punishment on your soul. There will soon come the day when you will face your actions and know their consequences, for your soul is already condemned to fall into the hands of the darkness that follows you like your own shadow. The truth will forever change you. During the day, you will beg for death, but you won't find it. During the night, your vile actions will whisper into your ears, making you unable to sleep. You will recognize your day when you hear this messenger once again. So long, mortal one._ "

"I said SHUT UP!" Braylon exploded.

"Hm... It seems that Mister Braylon has something to add. Am I correct?" Port argued. His stern look matched his reddened cheeks.

"Oh... um..."

"Five minutes!"

Port sighed. "As I said, a true Huntsman..."

He felt a hand shaking him.

"What is your problem?! You really wanna make us look bad, don't you?!" The blonde next to him whispered.

"Hey, instead of talking to me, why don't you talk to our glorious leader over there?"

"You have a problem with Ruby, jackass?"

"I might if you keep pissing me off."

"Students! We have arrived! Go out there and show what you're capable of!"

Every conversation died down when the Bullhead suddenly landed on top of a roof. All teams rushed towards the exit, ready to fight the Grimm. When Braylon got out he was surprised to see so many Grimm of all shapes and sizes, some of which he never saw before, like dinosaur-shaped midgets, truck-sized turtles with two heads and even elephants as big as a damn house or even bigger. All sharing the same colors: red, white and black. Their ferocity was something to behold. Normally a Grimm would kill a human and move on. But this... Braylon saw a Faunus running on the street below. A Beowolf lunged and threw him on the ground. It started scratching on the Faunus like a dog when it tries to hide a bone. Even after death his body was scratched and tore open. Braylon noticed how determined all of them were. To the point that each individual trashed everything In their path, desperate to find a new human to kill.

And then they turned their eyes towards him.

Holy shit.

Every action possible suddenly stopped. Everything went quiet. The Hunstmen and Huntresses were too busy with their unimportant problems to care. It wasn't until a Beowolf started howling that the absolute shitstorm was unleashed. Some Grimm tried to climb. Those who couldn't tried to bring the building down. They looked like they were intoxicated by merely looking at him.

"...are you doing?!"

Ruby appeared near him.

"Ha! What are my orders, oh glorious leader?"

Her cheeks reddened from embarassment. "I... um... You will help me..."

"...Yes?"

"While Blake and Yang and Weiss..."

He raised a hand. "Just stop. I understand."

"What are you two doing, you dolts?! We are supposed to hunt the Grimm, not dilly-dallying!"

"Ruby wants me to help her while you three some up-close-and-personal fun."

Weiss scoffed. "As if I'm letting her anywhere near you without any supervision."

"Uh, I can take care of myself, you know."

"Do what you want, Weiss. Just leave me alone."

The heiress's eyes widened when she saw him looking down.

"Wait! What are you trying to-"

"You four have fun. I will make sure to nab all these motherfuckers. About time I killed something."

"Stop! You can't just-"

"Braylon!" Both grils screamed as he jumped down. They ran towards the ledge and saw the Vault Hunter crashing straight into a Beowolf who tried to climb up.

"That... insufferable... idiot!"

"We must help him! Come on!"

"You too?!"

The Beowolf fell on the street with Braylon on top of him. The Grimm was still alive and tried to scratch his ass.

"Just die." He took out the Unforgiven and placed a shot into the head. It was still alive.

"The fuck? Aah!"

Braylon was taken by surprise long enough to be tackled by one of the bipedal dinosaur midgets. Or how people on Remnant call them, Creep.

"Ugly... son of a... bitch!" He struggled to hold the Creep's mouth shut.

BANG!

A bullet went straight into the Grimm's side. While it howled in pain, Braylon materialized the Holo Sabre and stabbed its head. The corpse was tossed aside. Weiss and Ruby reached him.

"Are you okay?"

"Do I look like I needed help?"

"Yes you did!"

"No I didn't!"

"Stop arguing you two and focus!"

The Grimm slowly marched towrds the three humans. No word was wasted. It was time to fight.

A Beringel picked up a car and tossed it. The trio was split apart. Something that methinks (metinks? I Don't know what was supposed to go here so you will have to figure that out) that Beringel wanted, because as soon as they dodged the car, it tossed a Beowolf straight at Braylon's ass. The discount werewolf grabbed Braylon in mid air and both of them went through a store's window.

"Braylon!"

"Don't worry about him! He can take care of himself! We on the other hand..."

* * *

( **AN:** Here the music is entirely optional. Feel free to use any music you wish for the fights in these chapter.)

CRASH!

The window did nothing to stop the human-Grimm cannonball. In fact, it smashed several shelves before crashing on the ground. Beowolf stood on top, trying to scratch the human below.

"Fuck off!"

Braylon kicked off his attacker with his legs, who crashed into a shelf. It did nothing to stop it down.

Normally Braylon would have the advantage over an average Huntsman because his weapons fire ammo at supersonic speed, thus maximizing the damage. A single shot of his Unforgiven could easily pass through a concrete wall. And yet that Beowolf from before was still alive, despite half of its head gone. He concluded that the same situation was going to happen with this Beowolf too. The bastard was going frenzy like a rabbid dog.

CRASH!

Looks like someone else joined the party.

He unholstered the Unforgiven and fired two shots into the Beowolf's chest.

"Please die already!"

Multiple footsteps could be heard going towards his direction.

The Grimm howled before lunging. He jumped to the left and fired two more shots into the creature's back. It died. About fucking time.

" _What the fuck. That should have been easy!_ "

Something growled. He turned his head. A small group of Creeps led by an Alpha, if the size and appearance are any clue. Like the Grimm before them, they were also in a frenzied state.

"Alright. You wanna fight? You're getting a fight."

Braylon materialized his pendant and placed it around his neck. It was then when he heard something above himself.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

A Grimm decided to be smart enough to ambush him from the roof.

" _It's getting to hot in here for my liking._ "

The Alpha Creep knew. It knew that, should it decide to attack, the most probable result would be death. So it took two steps back and nodded. The underlings immediately knew what to do.

All of them attacked at once. Braylon jumped back until he reached the wall. That was close.

" _If only I can kill one of them._ "

Materializing his Bullpup, Braylon shot three times one of the young Creeps. Because it's natural armor was almost nonexistent, each shot tore a large chunk from the body.

"Oh boy, now you're fucked."

He dematerialized his shotgun and decided to tear some Grimm assholes apart with his bare hands.

One Creep ran up to him. Before it could attack, Braylon materialized his Holo Sabre and shoved it straight through the head. A quick, yet powerful, push turned the head into a blood-filled baloon.

"Say "Aah!" motherfucker!"

Another Creep got one of its feet broken when Braylon stomped on it as hard as he could. The creature screamed and as it did so, he grabbed the head and jaw.

CRACK! SPLORCH!

Pop goes the jaw. And the head!

Another Creep jumped on his back and bit his left shoulder. The Shield took all damage but it kept absorbing more damage as the Creep didn't let go from its prey. This infuriated Braylon so much that he decided to sacrifice the remaining battery of his Shield just to get a firm grasp on his attacker, toss it on the ground in front of him and crush its body with a single punch to the chest.

Now that the newbs were out of the way. It was time for the elite mook. Now where did-

SBAM!

The Alpha rammed itself into his stomach like a speeding train. Any presence of intelligence was simply gone. It just wanted the death of that human.

When they crashed into the wall, the Alpha Creep took a step back and slammed his armored head again into his chest. And again and again and again. It became so mindless that it might as well be a walking corpse. He could feel his insides burning with pain. The Alpha decided to execute a heavier attack, so it went back four steps and readied itself. When the head came too close for his liking, Braylon grabbed it and used all of his force to push back. Both sides didn't give up easily but the Vault Hunter was currently winning. He cocked his left fist back, materialized Holo Sabre and stabbed the Alpha. The holographic weapon was able to pierce the protective white plating. However, due to the exoskeleton's thickness, and because the Grimm went apeshit, Braylon had hard time maneuvering the Sabre properly.

"Why the fuck is this Grimm so strong?! Am I getting weaker?! The fuck?!"

The Alpha Creep swung his head wildly trying to get him off. Braylon took out the Bullpup once more and fired a point-blank shot to the head. The exoskeleton cracked. He shot again.

"Come on!"

The third shot was a success.

He sighed, knowing that more would come after him. And he was right.

The roof collapsed and a Beringel fell down. The fucked up face suggested it already saw some battles before.

WHAM!

No time to react at all. He just... flew. Luckily the Shield started recharging the battery just before he got an uppercut to the face. That was the second time he got rekt by one of Harambe's demented cousins.

"Ow. I felt that." He complained. "But I have something for you too!"

Braylon took the Damned Cowboy and fired a shot.

And then... shit happened.

The bullet never reached its target because it was protected by a red forcefield. Yes, you heard me correctly. A fucking forcefield.

"Huh?"

He fired two more shots. Same result. This time he noticed something odd. There was a red ray that fueled the forcefield coming from his right. Turns out that the source was a Grimm. Quite possibly, the strangest Grimm he ever saw.

It had a white pumpkin for a head with two triangles emitting red light for eyes while the mouth was sewn shut. The body, thin as a street lamp, was covered by a black cloth with red symbols similar to a cartoonish wizard. It also had a pair of red gloves instead of fingers. The whole thing looked like a scarecrow more than a soulless abomination. But it wasn't this that pissed Braylon off. It was the fact that, apparently, that Grimm was a wizard. Of all things possible, it just had to be a fucking wizard. On top of that, it hummed while casting the forcefield.*

The Beringel quickly grabbed Braylon by the throat as soon as the forcefield dissapeared and with it, the wizard.

"You fucking cheater."

It roared before punching him out of the building through the roof and on the street.

He got up slowly.

"Seriously. What asshole is capable of shitting out those things?"

His sense of humor stopped working when he noticed a large wave of Grimm walking towards him from down the road. Grimm also came from his left and right. He was surrounded.

"Hello Monday. Nice to meet you."

He observed his surroundings once more. ALL the Grimm of many types were coming his way, ready to sink their teeth into his ass. Well, there was one thing left to do.

He wasn't planning to go down without selling his skin at a high price.

And so he materialized his Fusillade in his right hand and lit on fire his left.

He was ready.

"I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

* * *

"There is something wrong with these Grimm."

"Um, I'm kinda busy here, Blakey! Maybe later!"

A Creep approached Yang who brought its head to the ground below with one of her fists. It was quickly followed by a Beowolf who lunged at her.

BLAM!

The shotgun-gauntlet made a huge hole in the creature's abdomen. Nevertheless, it still tried to kill her. It took another well-placed punch to gib the Beowolf. Yang jumped backwards until she reached her partner.

"Did you notice how the Grimm seem more..."

"Hard to kill?"

"I was going to say durable."

"Yeah. I noticed."

Blake shot a young Boarbatusk.

"It must be the negative emotions. The accumulated quantity may be the reason for their determination to keep fighting."

"Meh. I kinda like it. Makes punching them more fun."

"But if that's correct, it means that stronger Grimm are here too."

Just as she finished her explanation, they both heard loud snorting. Turning their heads, they saw another Grimm. It resembled a large bull with white horns, white bone plates that covered its nose and red eyes. Instead of having a pair of white hooves like its back legs, the front legs have hands.**

It charged without a warning. It was quick despite the weird anatomy. The two Huntresses had barely any time to dodge.

Rather than charging forward, like any bull, it stopped as soon as they split apart, turned towards Blake and spat fire from the mouth. She used her Semblance to evade the attack.

"Leave her alone!" Yang shouted as she threw herself at the Grimm with her weapons. The Grimm swiftly kicked her away with its legs, throwing her into a building.

Few bullets hit its head, which only irritated the Grimm.

"MRROOOO!"

It charged again and Blake replied with her effective counter-measure. This time, as the Grimm was concentrated on the clone, she jumped on its back and stabbed. The bull Grimm started jumping around, causing a small earthquake with each jump.

Yang shot out from the building and with a battle cry smashed into the Grimm's side. It was enough to throw it off balance and land somewhat awkwardly. She threw a flurry of punches, jumped and smashed the head with a Semblance-powered blow.

BOOM!

The ground below them cracked but the Grimm was still up and fighting.

It grabbed Yang with its right front leg and smashed her on the ground repeatedly.

Blake removed the blade from the sheath and proceeded to cut its back whenever possible.

BLAM!

Thanks to her Semblance, Yang broke free by blasting the leg away from its owner.

"MRROORGH!"

She crouched and jumped straight to its nose. The blow was so powerful that it cracked the bone plate. The bull Grimm finally died when Blake jumped on its head and stabbed her Gambol Shroud through the head.

"Nice."

"We should probably find Ruby and Weiss... and Braylon."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I want to kick his ass for splitting us apart!"

"I'm sure Ruby has got it covered."

"Come on. Let's find them."

* * *

BANG! BANG!

Another Boarbatusk fell. It was the fifth time Ruby killed one. Her partner, Weiss, was busy taking care of the stragglers.

"There are so many of them!"

Weiss trapped three Beowolves in ice, created a glyph under her feet and destroyed all three threats with one swift attack.

"I wonder what that dolt is doing."

RATATATATA!

"Oh. He is still fighting."

Ruby sliced a Creep in two equal parts.

"We need to find him! And fast!"

BAM!

BAM!

"What's going on?!"

The ground shook violently as footsteps came closer and closer.

BAM!

BAM!

Righ there, around the corner, came into view a Grimm unlike any others they fought there.

"Look at the size of that thing!"

The Grimm was a two-headed turtle with black skin, massive white shell, white goat beard, four red eyes on each head and elephant-like legs. A tank-sized brute whos feet were strong enough to leave footprints in the concrete of the street. When it spotted the duo, it let out a high-pitched moan painful to the ears.***

"GRAAAA!"

Ruby reloaded Crescent Rose and fired a shot at one of the heads. It groaned slightly. The other head returned the favor with an exhale powerful enough to send her flying. If it wasn't for Weiss, who stopped her from hurting herself, who knows what would happen.

"Thank you BFF!"

Weiss sighed. "Just be careful next time."

"Okay! Now-"

Ruby didn't get the chance to talk, as a loud roar from behind her turned her guard up again.

It was a Beringel.

"Don't worry Weiss! I got this!"

She fired a bullet who was blocked by a crimson barrier fromed around the Beringel.

"What... oh."

The wizard Grimm stood on the roof, casting a spell on his comrade.

Ruby and Weiss stood back to back, each facing a different, but not less lethal, opponent.

"I think we might have a problem."

* * *

 **PDA BioDatabase:**

* **Copperfield:** " _The Copperfield Grimm are some of the most dangerous types of Grimm out there, students! It is a threat that should never be underestimated, for it is one of the most intelligent Grimm in existence. Its nature gives it the ability to protect the allies by casting an unbreakable energy shield around them. Nothing can destroy that shield. The only way to remove it, is to eliminate the Copperfield casting said shield. Easier said than done. Truth to be told, nobody knows to what extent their powers can be manifested and some veterans even talk about their ability to understand, and speak, human language, though this fact remains unverified to this day._ "

\- Type: Grimm

\- Location: Universal (can be found everywhere)

\- Rarity: Uncommon

\- Powers and abilities: Ability to defend other Grimm by casting a powerful shield around them, can teleport, highly intelligent

\- Weaknesses: Often concentrates only on those Grimm who pose an actual threat, needs to be present in order to activate the shield, can only concentrate on one Grimm per time

* * *

 ****Blazebull:** " _Blazebull is one of those Grimm who are really hard to kill due to their high pain tolerance. Even the young are powerful enough to be a worthy challenge of a true Huntsman. The older version gains an additional head and quite an arsenal of devastating attacks._ "

\- Type: Grimm

\- Location: Forest, mountains

\- Rarity: Uncommon

\- Powers and abilities: Charging at high speed, can breathe fire, the front legs can be used for throwing and hitting, hard to kill

\- Weaknesses: Has no natural armor (almost every attack can do damage)

* * *

*** **Galapagos:** " _A rather rare type of Grimm. These two-headed turtles have more focus on defense, rather than offense. Their skin and shell are extremely hard to pierce and their two heads provide support to each other should one of them be assaulted. Nevertheless, they can be a threat if underestimated. I once knew a Huntsman..._ "

\- Type: Grimm

\- Location: Forest, beach, islands, large bodies of water (lakes and oceans)

\- Rarity: Rare

\- Powers and abilities: Extremely powerful natural armor, two heads, one head can still move the whole body

\- Weaknesses: Rather slow, poor agility


	60. Teamwork

Ruby fired another shot at the fast-approaching Beringel. The barrier was activated as expected and the Grimm wizard appeared on top of a car. In order to escape from the Beringel and to reach its protector, the read reaper used her semblance to ran towards the car. She failed, as the Copperfield Grimm dissapeared. The Beringel came behind her and tossed her into a wall. It roared.

Ruby grit her teeth. There had to be a way to defeat them both. She had to win for the sake of Vale.

She fired one shot to jump high into the air, then fired another towards the Beringel. Her eyes darted around the surrounding environment to find the real target, which stood on the roof of a building. Ruby pointed the Crescent Rose's barrel behind herself and fired, thus shooting herself at the Copperfield. It vanished just as she was about to slice it in half.

It was then when she realized that she couldn't win. At least not alone. It was simply too fast. Weiss was unable to help, as she had to deal with another Grimm. Braylon was out of the question. She had no idea where he was to begin with.

If only Blake and Yang were there to help...

The Beringel reached her position effortlessly. It prepared another attack when it heard a human shouting.

"Leave my sister alone!"

Yang jumped , ready to deliver a painful attack at the Grimm who dared to challenge her sister.

"Yang, no!"

As soon as the brawler's fist came close enough, a red barrier blocked the attack. It didn't stop Yang from attacking again and again, without ever giving up.

In the meantime, the Beringel watched in amusement at the prey's attempt to destroy its impenetrable defense, thanks to its ally. But it soon countered with a backhand, throwing Yang off the building and returning to its previous opponent, who now had yet another human for support.

"We need to remove that barrier, Blake!"

"...I think I have an idea."

Blake took out Gambol Shroud and rushed forward. The defensive barrier was activated at the same time and the Copperfield appeared close to the Beringel it was protecting. However, it turned out that the attacker was just an illusion created by the real one who appeared near the Copperfield. Blake shot two bullets right through its skull, spilling the contents. Instead of roaring in pain, or doing something similar, it laughed eerily before falling on the ground dead.

With the Copperfield dead, the barrier was gone too and the Beringel started its rampage. No matter how hard it tried to hit Blake, she would just use her Semblance to escape its deadly attacks. One of her decoys was powered with Ice Dust which trapped the Beringel's arm, allowing both her and Ruby to fire with their respective weapons. One of Ruby's bullets ended into the Grimm's skull. And yet, it still had enough force to break free and continue the onslaught. That is, until Yang appeared with her red eyes and burning hair. The Grimm turned around, mesmerized by the sudden appearance of a new source of negative emotions.

It had to be killed.

Both Yang and the Beringel screamed at each other before attacking. Yang delivered an uppercut into the Beringel's jaw, causing it to skid back. She then punched the creature as hard and as fast as she could into its abdomen, finishing with a powerful right hook in the Beringel's face.

But it _still_ wasn't enough.

"Fall down already!" Yang screamed furiously.

"Blake! Ladybug! Now!"

"On it!"

Thanks to their speed, Ruby and Blake attacked the Beringel from each side, stabbing and shooting whenever possible.

"Bumblebee!"

Blake reached Yang, allowing her to grab one end of the Gambol Shroud. Blake swung Yang, creating a perfect momentum for Yang's punch.

The result was even more than promising. The attack was powerful enough to finish off the weakened Beringel.

"Yay! Go team RWBBY!"

The celebration was cut abruptly when Ruby's Scroll buzzed.

"Ruby Rose of team RWBBY! This is Doctor Oobleck with an important message! There is an abnormal concentration of Grimm near your position! I'm giving you the coordinates. Go there and kill as many Grimm as you can. Be fast though, for Mister Braylon is also there. And while I don't doubt his skills, I sent team CFVY to help him out."

"We need to find Weiss first."

"She is there! Come on!"

The trio jumped down and reached Weiss who jumped away from her target.

"Need help, Ice Queen?"

"Me? No. I was fine of my own."

"Now you sound like Braylon."

"Yang Xiao Long! Don't you ever dare compare me to him again!"

"Can we talk after we are done with the mission?"

BAM!

BAM!

The turtle Grimm let out a threatening roar as it slowly walked forward.

"Ice Flower!"

Ruby aimed at the turtle while Weiss summoned glyphs. Each bullet was encased in ice as it hit the two front legs of the beast before them. To counter, the Galapagos lowered one of its head and let out a yellow beam. Four girls split in two teams and attacked in unison. Weiss and Blake on one side, Yang and Ruby on the other. The Grimm had a solution for that problem too.

It retracted into the shell.

And started spinning.

While it was true that the Grimm was slow, it was also powerful enough to cause a wind shock wave each time it completely rotated around its own axis.

"How do we stop that!"

Weiss thought about a solution. Fire and ice couldn't help. At least not while the Grimm attacked. So she summoned a time dilation glyph to slow down the Galapagos even more. She then used her Myrtenaster to set it on fire. Her plan was to bring it out of its shell. It took fifteen minutes to finally come out, unable to endure the heat.

"Attack!"

Ruby reloaded Crescent Rose with Fire Dust bullets and emptied the whole magazine on the left head, with each shot tearing a huge chunk away from the head. Weiss used a combination of red and white glyphs to give Yang a speed and power boost. The result was Yang going at the right head with the speed of a cannonball. It exploded on impact and the body fell to one side.

BOOM!

"And another one bites the dust!" Yang fist-bumped the air.

"Our mission isn't over, Yang!"

"You just had to ruin it princess, huh?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Please, hear me out. Professor... _Doctor_ Oobleck told us to reach a place with lots of Grimm. And it looks like Braylon is there too."

"Why am I not impressed?" Weiss facepalmed.

"Hey, no way I'm letting that jerk have all the fun!"

"Fighting aside, should we really help him?" Blake wondered. "I mean, we _can_ help him if we want. But... is he willing to do the same for us?"

"Who? That dunce? That must be a joke. He even started complaining when Ruby and I helped him before we were split apart."

"They are right, you know? I doubt he would give a damn if we fell into trouble. Now that I think about it, he would probably point a finger and laugh his butt off."

"Guys, I know he may be difficult sometimes-"

"Always."

"...But think about what he had gone through. If even half of what he says is true, then his condition could be far worse than we feared. He may act like a jerk-"

"May?"

"My point is, while I know he will probably try to act all mighty and tough, I think... that, deep down, he appreaciates it. He just... probably never learned to express it the right way."

Yang sighed. "If you insist... but if he puts even a finger on you-"

"Yang..."

"I swear to god, he will end up in a hospital for the rest of his life."

"...Alright, alright... let's just... go..."

The girls from team RWBBY used the rooftops to reach the coordinates given by Oobleck. They found the members of CF(V)Y fighting against Grimm using various team strategies and Braylon going solo, as expected, against a horde of those monsters. The whole area looked like a battlefield, with Grimm corpses all over the place, some buildings completely devastated and pure chaos everywhere the eye could see. It was still ten times better than what Braylon looked like.

"I CAN GO ON FOR DAYS! FUCKING BRING IT, JACKASSES!"

A Beowolf accepted the challenge and tried to perform a horizontal swipe aimed for his head. He ducked, grabbed its waist witht he left hand, lifted up like a bag, tossed on the ground and stomped the son of a bitch, turning its head into a red stain.

Materializing both Holo Sabre and Cerastes, he swung the holographic blade to a Beowolf's hip and brought Cerastes down on its head. Swapping his weapons for Vulcannon, he transformed it into the sword form and added Wind Dust. Braylon swung Vulcannon as soon as green fire formed around the blade, creating a wind storm that blew away what remained of the pack.

Switching his weapons again, he took Boreas and fired three standard rockets into the crowd. The weaker ones exploded like a meat piñata while the thougher received serious injuries.

"See? I told you he would be fine." Yang commented.

"There's team CFVY."

"Alright girls! Let's show them what is team RWBBY capable of!"

Braylon was busy ripping a Creep in half when he noticed Yang and Blake reaching his position.

"Oh, it's you."

"And just when I thought you couldn't get more casual."

"Less talk. More walk." He said as he materialized Cerastes and rushed towards an Ursa.

"The nerve..."

"He is right, you know."

"You too?!"

Blake shook her head and followed Braylon. The Vault Hunter jumped and smashed the sphere straight on the Ursa's head. Blake jumped on its back then jumped again, shooting two Creeps in mid-air.

"Don't steal my kills."

"I don't see your name on them."

"...True that."

An Alpha Beowolf lunged at Braylon but Yang punched him away. He turned around.

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Oh, you know, saving your life and stuff."

"Ah..."

"You could say "thank you"."

"...For what?"

She punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow."

"Love you too."

"Could one of you give me a hand?"

"Sure." Both responded at the same time. "Hey! Stop stealing my words! No, you stop!"

Blake rolled her eyes as she was forced to use her Semblance to escape from an attack.

Braylon materialized Fornax and fired on small Nevermores while Yang punched the crap out of an Alpha Creep.

"King Taijitu!"

At first, the trio saw only the typical black and white heads in the crowd. But everything changed when the black head pushed away other competitors. Only then did the Grimm reveal its true form, or rather, its remaining six heads.

"Damn."

It was much larger than a regular Taijitu but it didn't look "natural". Rather, it looked like _four_ Taijitus were fused together. Braylon got more information about it by his teammates.

"Hey Blake, do you remember this thing? Back in the forest?"

"Yes."

"Does one of you mind to inform me?"

"Aim for eyes and mouth. It is too slippery and the scales are too tough."

"Try to find the Grimm that fused them."

" _The Grimm that fused them?_ "

"What Yang tries to say is to find a tiny Grimm shaped like a mask, which is also the core, and destroy it."

"Fuck that. I'm gonna tear it to pieces with this!" Braylon yelled as he materialized Nukem. "Let's see how tough you are against a mini nuke!"

The rocket hit one of the heads which exploded so violently that two more heads were badly damaged in the process.

"What was that?! Wanna more?! Here you go!"

FWOOSH!

KA-BOOM!

Two more heads blew up, sending blood, brains and bone on both the street and the buildings around it. Blake had to crouch to avoid getting hit by one eyeball.

"Gonna nuke the shit out of you!"

This time he aimed at the black lump which held the heads together. It was damaged enough for the trio to tear it open with their weapons. Braylon volounteered to shove his right hand into the body.

"Jesus. Can you believe this shit?"

Unfortunately, he was stupid enough to not realize that the remaining heads were alive and well. When they noticed the tiny human trying to dig inside their body... they didn't like it very much. Yang had to grab him by the shoulders and pull him away to prevent his possible death.

"Hey, asshole. If you want to die, then please do it when we are not around."

"Yeah... I suppose I should say thank you for saving my life."

"Wait, you are not being sarcastic, are you?"

"No." He growled.

"So will you finally-"

"No."

"Thought so."

Those headless necks continuously spilled blood each time they twitched or swung wildly. It didn't numb the ferocity of the remaining heads who couldn't wait to sink their teeth on the ass of the one responsible for their suffering.

"Can't you just use that weapon again?!"

"Hell no! Do you know how hard it is to make the ammo for that?!"

"Oh boo hoo! Sorry, I am a lazy butt!"

"You really are a blondie."

"Take that back or I'll knock your teeth out!"

"Guys!" Blake shouted. "Stop acting like kids and concentrate!"

One of the heads went for the trio, who avoided the attack.

"I have an idea!"

Braylon materialized his Trespasser sniper rifle, aimed and pulled the trigger. The bullet was able to pierce through the scales but it only caused some small damage. It was simply too small. He eventually had to give up and follow the original plan.

"You two go and kill the core. I'll distract it. Hurry!"

Both nodded and waited for his diversion. He decided that a Pandemic-modified grenade would do the trick. He was right. It was enough to draw its attention back to him as both girls had the freedom to tear open the main body and search for the core. Though they had trouble at first, due to the Grimm's constant movement, both Yang and Blake were able to destroy it with few well-placed shots. The fused hybrid finally fell.

"Nice work." He complimented.

"When it comes out of your mouth, it sounds like an insult."

"Okay, blondie."

"Alright! I will seriously- ow! What the heck, Blake!"

"Stop it. Don't even think for a second that we have finished."

 _BOOM!_ _BOOM!_

BOOM!

 _BOOM!_

Both sides stopped fighting as the sound of something heavy pounding the ground came their way. It was slow, yet threatening, that even the remaining Grimm, both young and old, started running away.

 _BOOM! BOOM!_

BOOM! BOOM!

Everyone's Scroll buzzed.

"Students!" Oobleck started. "Leave the place immediately! The military will take it from here! Now move it!"

"What's going on?" Braylon inquired. Blake simply pointed her finger at something way down the road. He allowed his jaw to drop on the ground.

It was the largest Grimm Braylon had seen up to then. Taller than a Goliath and thrice as large. In fact, it was so tall that one could give a detailed description of that monstrosity even at such distance. No one had any idea how it had enough space to even move around.

It had four pairs of long, insectoid legs wrapped in a white exoskeleton. Actually, the whole Grimm looked like a giant insect. The head and thorax were divided by a long neck. The white exoskeleton covered the head, neck, legs and thorax. It also had white elytra with red spots while the swollen abdomen was completely black. The fourth pair of legs, the one closest to the head, was morphed to look like two claws like that of a crab. That Grimm had its head lowered to the ground the whole time it walked towards the group of Huntsmen-in-training.

The Grimm stopped some forty meters away from them. It raised the head, first slowly, then quicker and quicker, as the antennas (who eerily looked like human arms, each also had a human-like hand at the end) frantically moved in the air. Its face... its face!

"Holy shit..."

Only a human could have such a face because, de facto, at the same time, it was and _wasn't_ human. There was a nose, two pairs of red eyes and a large fucking mouth with piranha-like teeth. The scream was even worse. As if someone placed a group of screaming high-pitched women near a trumpet-only orchestra.

Oh he knew. Braylon knew that the universe would eventually shove a boot up his ass for making fun of an enemy. Never underestimate your enemy if you don't want something like this to happen.

He also knew that their days were numbered.

* * *

 **Something came to me. As everyone who watched RWBY will know, the teams created team attacks (Arkos, Ice Flower, etc.). So I was thinking for a moment. What if Braylon has a team attack with someone? I have few in mind but I would like to hear from you. What would you like to see? What is the name? Who performs the attack with Braylon?**


	61. Retreat

**Voidmeister: Not necessarily. The negativity that attracts Grimm is created by everyone who lives in Vale. Because of constant White Fang attacks and the latest tragic "incidents", the negativity became so powerful that it started attracting even the oldest individuals. Which is also why Grimm are more "feral" and harder to kill. Braylon just happens to be an anglerfish specialized in attracting Grimm.**

 **hero of time45: See chapters where I talked about that.**

* * *

Exceptional people often have exceptional moments in their life, that may make or break them. If you happen to be a Skag hunter (or just an unlucky fellow), chances are you will encounter a gigantic specimen during your journey. If that happens... well... you better have a rocket launcher with you. Otherwise you're fucked.

Even if you happen to somehow survive such an encounter, you'll probably wish to never experience something like that ever again, which is quite understandable. No matter how much you jerk off to Mother Nature, you must remember that she is, and always will be, a whore.

Now try to imagine yourself as a survivor of such encounter. Here is a question, are you willing to see something that is much, _much_ taller than that Skag? And hell-bent on wiping you out?

Yeah, thought so.

So you can kinda imagine Braylon's reaction to something like that. While not pissing himself outright, saying that he was scared for his life isn't far from truth either. Even if he saw things _even bigger_ than the Grimm that stood in front of him, the natural instincts would always kick in and he would be in the fight or flight mode. More latter than the former, understandably so. Big things are always hard to kill, even with explosives.

"W... what the hell..."

It was the only thing he could say because his mind was only screaming "fuck this, I'm out" the entire time. Not even once could he imagine a Grimm being that big. For a brief moment, he felt like an idiot for doing a mistake that could be compared with that of the french or germans when trying to conquer Russia. Another victory for Murphy.

Everyone regrouped as far away from the Grimm as possible. There wasn't a lot of things they were able to do. The only thing they could do was stalling until someone arrived to take them away.

"We must kill it!" Ruby exclaimed as if it were a simple walk in the park.

Braylon had a better idea.

"I think we should run as fast as we can."

"But we are Huntsmen and Huntresses in training! We can't just run like cowards!"

He clenched his teeth, "There's no way in hell we can harm that thing in any way! Look how armored it is!"

His reasoning was simple. If that eight-headed Grimm took three mini nukes and still lived, then nothing short of an actual nuke or an anti-matter bomb would destroy such monstrosity... along with half of the continent.

"So instead of trying to do our best, we should just run away?!"

The young Vault Hunter didn't reply. He had no time to do anything. The giant Grimm discovered an opening and decided to attack. It raised its head up in the air and screamed before firing a yellow beam from its mouth directed at Braylon. He just stood there like an idiot, too shaken by fear to dodge the attack.

He felt a pair of hands pushing him away. As he fell down, his eyes briefly turned back towards the person who took his place. It was that blind guy from team CFVY. A person who barely knew him. Another faceless "colleague" who took his place, thus saving his life. It happened so quickly, that nobody, not even Braylon, could react.

Braylon fell on the ground while he turned towards the Grimm and shielded himself by raising his arms in front of his face. The ray hit him.

FSSSSSSSS!

You know that sound when you toss heated metal into cold water? Or when you put meat on oil? That same sound could be heard as soon as the ray made impact with him, coupled with a thick cloud of steam.

There, in front of the Vault Hunter's eyes, happened the horrifying side effects. Blood fell down from the steam cloud in several tiny streams, forming several ponds that quickly fused into one. The other remains fell not even two seconds later. Heavily damaged equipment, chunks of meat, some bones and badly burnt skull.

The entire world stopped moving for Braylon, as he was forced to watch what was supposed to be his own death. Wide eyed, he wondered why that guy sacrificed his life for him, someone who would willingly, and happily, accept his demise. It was a question that bombarded his thoughts ad infinitum right there, right then. An unknown accepted Braylon's destiny. Why?

" _It... it melted him... in one hit..._ "

Others had to watch too. The entire scene unfolding right in front of their eyes, especially in front of those who deeply cared for him. His own teammates.

"NOOOO!"

Panic, fear, despair. It all rained down on everyone as they watched one of their friends, one of their colleagues, die. The girls didn't take it well... especially Ruby.

Ruby, who had a heart of gold, who was an innocent little cinnamon roll, now witnessed death doing her everyday job. As did Braylon who hallucinated its personification standing idly near them, ready to reap their souls as soon as they leave that mortal shell. And while Weiss and Blake were strong enough to not go into full hysteria (which was debatable), Yang... _exploded_. It was something that Braylon never saw happening. She became living fire.

Not that he gave a fuck.

He had problems on his own now. Yet another person who sacrificed themselves for him. The scene replayed again in his mind, triggering countless flashbacks of his past. Memories that he tried to forget. As another punishment, his pendant stopped glowing.

"AAAAAAHH!"

It was one of his worst nightmares. Reduced to a miserable pile on the ground, completely unable to defend himself from his opponent. Ruby ran up to him, trying to find a way to help her teammate while also keeping herself from going insane. So much stress was placed on her shoulders that she never noticed her older sister going full berserk and trying to kill the beast.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Yang howled as she approached one of the legs and pointlessly smashed her fists into it. She was swatted away with one claw, depleting her Aura with one hit. Not even her temper tantrum was able to achieve any sort of victory. Blake and Weiss came to her help, as much as that help could be useful.

Living CFVY members, the fashionista and the samurai, were in no better position. The team leader stood on her knees near the remains, crying at the loss of another teammate. The samurai tried his best to comfort her.

Ruby held Braylon's hand as he twitched in agony that the pendant gave to him. She was crying and whispering something that he was unable to hear.

No one really tried to defeat the Grimm. How could they? It was too much for a bunch of teenagers. Especially when you take into consideration the fact that none of them had probably seen a real death. Nevermind what media likes to portray about such topics.

What did the Grimm do all this time?

As soon as the Huntsmen-in-training melted like an ice-cream on a hot day, the Grimm stopped moving completely. The abdomen started spasming rythmically. Something came out from it. No genius was needed to understand that it layed an egg.

The Atlesian dropships reached their position, firing at the gigantic Grimm with their gatling cannons. It was enough to draw its attention as it tried to bring down as many as it could. Note how it suddenly decided to go into defensive mode rather than unleashing hell upon the puny humans.

While the other dropships continued to pump rounds without giving up, one dropship landed quickly on the street. Doctor Oobleck was inside with several Atlesian robots.

Even Oobleck, a Huntsman with years of service, was terrified at the sight of such monstrosity. He ordered all present students to reach the dropship immediately. Yang, Weiss and Blake had to help Ruby carrying a weakened Braylon to the vehicle. The vehicle closed its doors and lifted up.

Braylon, who looked worse than shit, constantly mumbled incomprehensively as he was carried around like some kind of a bag.

"Quit your whining." Yang ordered coldly.

He was such a sorry sight. Completely different from the Braylon all of them knew. Just yesterday he could take an army by himself. Now he could barely breathe.

"Rarely in my life had I seen Grimm like that." Oobleck confessed. "Our situation is worse than I thought."

"Exactly how worse?" Weiss asked.

"We lost the agricultural district. It is completely overrun by Grimm. We also lost part of the industrial district because it had no defensive walls whatsoever. Some Huntsmen and Huntsmen-in-training decided to help in any way they could... some of them lost their lives, unfortunately. And that's not taking civilians into the account."

"So the breach wasn't closed?"

"No. We had to improvise by constructing a wall out of ruined buildings. Doing so, we saved part of the industrial district."

"Doctor Oobleck..." Ruby started as she clenched her hands. "Was... all of this... pointless? Just like... Braylon said it would be?"

"Sis! I honestly can't believe you just said that!"

"But Yang... we failed. Our team _failed_."

"And because of that you should become like him, a sorry piece of-"

"Language." Oobleck warned.

"For him, this and else."

"What's the problem Yang?" Her partner pleaded.

"What's the problem? A guy just lost his life trying to defend him! Do you think he would care about that? No, because he is an asshole! Just look at him!" Both turned their heads towards Braylon, who sat quietly in his seat. His hair covered his eyes. "Why would anyone sacrifice their life for such an asshole who doesn't give a damn about anyone in the world?!" Braylon slightly clenched his teeth. The surviving members of CFVY tried to comfort each other without success.

" _Why does it always happen? Why every time I try to do something good, I end up doing bad? Why, just why?_ "

His PDA had a feature which allowed the user to "lock" and compress their memories into files that would be stored in the database. This feature was intended for medical purposes, as it would activate when the user would be a witness to traumatic events, such as murder or tragic loss of the loved ones. It could also be activated manually for when the user wanted to "remember" such events again. This wasn't recommended, however, as it would have... rather painful side-effects.

While distributed, it was a work in progress. Despite locking their memories, users would still get brief flashbacks or perceive that they had experienced the memory. Thankfully, most of the times it is simply shrugged off.

Braylon locked most of his memories away. At least, he locked those that were truly fucked up. Which is one of the reasons why he can't remember some events ever happening. Well, remember is a strong word. Rather, he gets snippets of those from time to time. He would gladly shrug them off, but there was always fear that he had done something nasty and decided to erease any memory of it. Unknown to anyone, a tear fell down his cheek.

* * *

 **No, I do not hate team CFVY.**


	62. Promises

The utterly crushing defeat proved to be a devastating hit at everyone's morale. No plan ever survives contact with the enemy but what happens when that plan gets crushed even before making it? Some brave Huntsmen threw their lives away for nothing. No land was retaken, no Grimm hordes were decimated. It was all for naught.

It took three teams of veteran Huntsmen to take down that giant Grimm that killed the member of CFVY. The question that naturally came up was; if it took so many Huntsmen to take it down, then what could possibly they do, a bunch of kids, a bunch of Huntsmen-in-training? What chances did they have?

Death of CFVY member served a purpose, however. It made them all realize just how much things were at stake, how they could die at any moment. Something that Braylon already knew. Death wasn't prejudiced. Young and old, men and women, newborns and elders, human and alien. Nobody can predict someone's date of death. A person could die for few years, or months, or days, or even the same day they were born. Want to see a universal truth? Go to the graveyard and look at the tombstones.

For Braylon the problem was much broader than death, for he did not fear death but what comes after it. You see, he was a believer, thanks to his father, but he held... rather weird beliefs. For example, while a common believer knew the concepts of Heaven and Hell and did everything in their power to improve themselves, thus earning a place in Heaven, Braylon believed that, as soon as he dies, his ass would be kicked into Hell without any judgment because of many awful things he had done. Rather than changing his beliefs, as everyone who wants to feel good about themselves, he showed no signs of changing them anytime soon.

The atmosphere in team RWBBY was rather depressive. While Ruby acted cheerful, everyone knew how truly she felt, how truly everyone felt. To save her soul from further pain, other members made a mental agreement to never speak about it in her presence.

Everyone was busy with something that would easily distract them from the fresh traumatic event. Braylon was the exception.

He sat on a sofa placed in a corner of the room. No matter what he did, there was nothing that could relieve him of the horrors that haunted his mind. He was silent, creepily so, with a stare that allowed everyone to gaze into the abyss that were his eyes.

" _Damn it! Damn it all!_ "

How many more? How many more had to lost their lives for his worthless arse? Most importantly, why did he had to take such a burden?

His mind, betrayer that it was, made him think about all the time he spent on Remnant, from when he came, to now. There were some things that caught his attention.

Those ruins in the forest... the underground cave... the Claptrap... he discovered them all by coincidence. Too bad he didn't believe in coincidences.

Some things just didn't add up or even make sense. When he went deeper into the ruins, he encountered that monster. When he tried to discover what crashed in Forever Fall... he again encountered a monster. Almost as if they knew where he would go and what would he do. And then, how and why were Dahl soldiers on Remnant? How did Atlas get those weapons? Many things were just... convenient.

He screamed internally, ruffling his hair in frustration.

"Maybe... maybe there is a way to make things right again..."

Braylon suddenly got up and walked to the door.

"Where is our prince charming trying to go?" Questioned Yang from her Bed. "Is he trying to screw someone again?"

He grabbed the doorknob and slightly pushed the door open.

"I have to do something. I'll be right back."

"Oh no, no damn way I'm letting you... Fine! Go! Please don't come back. Forever, if possible."

* * *

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Yatsu... please open the door."

He nodded wordlessly and went for the door.

"Hello. Sorry if I'm disturbing or anything..."

Coco looked up. It was that fifth member of team RWBBY. The only male in the sea of girls.

She waved her hand, "Please."

Being a second-year student at Beacon certainly wasn't easy. Between school and missions one had very little amount of free time to spend however they want. It's not a rare sight for the first-years to talk with second-year students. Although divided by a year of experience, both sides were still capable of communication since both were children, so to speak.

"Take a seat."

He looked around, uncertain, grabbed the first chair he found and sat on it.

"My condolences. I'm sorry for what happened... back there."

She nodded slowly.

"While I do mourn the loss of one of my teammates, I know that he... wanted it to be that way." He didn't answer. "He... knew how hard it was to be someone who is weak and unable to protect what they love. Fox was ready to accept death, but... no one thought it would be so sudden." She resisted the urge to cry. Even in death a second-year had to be an example to a first-year.

He looked at the ground, leaning forward. "It's my fault..."

"I won't blame you. The attack simply caught us off guard."

"But... if I moved away by my own, your teammate would still be here, wouldn't he?"

"As I said, I won't blame you."

"And I am thankful for that, ma'am."

"Please, call me Coco."

After a brief pause, the first-year talked again. "You... also lost the other teammate, right? That girl..."

"Velvet."

"Yes, Velvet. I... did you happen to find the killer?"

"Unfortunately, no. We did not. It could be anyone, student or professor."

"I... I apologize, but I think I may have a clue about the killer."

She was actually surprised but kept her stoic facade well. "Then why didn't you tell us sooner?"

He closed his eyes and grit his teeth. "It's more of a hunch than a clue, really. It feels like I already saw that... "method" before but... You can agree with me, right? That kind of death just doesn't feel natural. Is there an animal that can do such a thing?"

"No. As far as I know, no. Not even a Grimm."

The first-year student suddenly got up. "Miss Coco, I promise I will do my best to find out the killer. I will find them and bring them to justice."

She smiled slightly, whether it was a mocking smile or not, he had no idea. "Thank you..."

"Braylon."

"Yes... Braylon."

He awkwardly stood there, nodding several times before going towards the door.

"Once again, I'm sorry for your loss."

* * *

He knew he made an unkeepable promise. The killer left no clue whatsoever. A perfect murder. But...

If only he remembered where had he seen that method. As soon as he saw Velvet's dried body, his mind started screaming "warning, warning" to the point that it frustrated him. If he couldn't remember, but felt like he saw it before, then it meant that he locked that information in his PDA.

Ignoring the ghastly whispers that assaulted his psyche, Braylon went for the roofs of Beacon Academy. There, he sat on a bench, sighed, and dived into the PDA database.

"Lifeforms, planets... there you are. Memories."

He tapped the screen, revealing quite a lot of compressed files. One of the downsides of locking your memories was the fact that, when you needed one of them, you had no idea which one it was. Naming a file was useless, as it would be shown on the screen after said memory was sucked out of your brain. Heh, I guess that not even naming them would do much help afterwards, wouldn't it?

Because he had no idea which was the right one (and because he thought that the answer would be in one of the files), he went for the YOLO tactic.

Unlocking them all.

Warning. The following action may put the user's life at risk. Do you wish to continue?

"Begin."

Initializing data transfer to the medial temporal lobe. Estimated time to complete the procedure: two hours.

"This is gonna suck."

* * *

Systems online.

Hyperions Artificial Intelligence Operating System

Copyright 2357-2398 Hyperion Industries

\- Hyperion Claptrap Management System -

HypOS v.69

(C)2358 Hyperion

Pri. Master Board HDD CL4P-TP capability ... Disabled

Activation ...

ERROR 0x154653352B8

"Connection not found"

Pri. Master Board HDD FR4G-TP Mark II ... Disabled

Activation...

"Input device found"

"Data accepted"

"Downloading"

INAC executable file/34zt87/1984

Status...: Ongoing...

Accepted...: 34896/18259345 kb

LOL...: Inactive

...

WHIIIIRRR!

"WAH! WHERE THE **** AM I?! WHAT THE **** AM I?!"

"BROTHER BOSS! YOU ARE ALIVE!"

"NO NEED TO SHOUT FOR ****S SAKE!"

"OKAY!"

Claptrap brought his hands in front of his robotic eye.

"What happened to me?"

"OH! OH! I FOUND YOU IN FRONT OF A CONSOLE, RIGHT? SO I DECIDED IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO ORDER THAT THINGY TO REBUILD YOUR BODY, RIGHT? MAN, YOU WERE SO REKT!"

If Claptrap would make a face, it would be one that says "are you fucking kidding me".

"...You saved me?"

"OF COURSE! YOU ARE THE BOSS, BOSS! WITHOUT YOU, IT WOULD ALL BE USELESS!"

"Huh... I guess... anything else you have to report?"

"MANY THINGS! FOLLOW ME BOSS!"

Both Claptraps arrived at the Assembly Sector. During the time that Claptrap was out, the sector changed a lot. The first and most obvious change was the addition of Claptrap units working on the assembly lines. Each robot was painted in yellow with a white stripe. They also wore construction hats. But that wasn't the only change.

Some walls had Claptrap hardware of all shapes and sizes attached all over them. Others had posters filled with propaganda such as:

A Claptrap with a hat, a cigar and a black beard raising his right hand. Behind him were other types of robots doing various things. Below the picture it read: "Together against all fleshy tyrants! Viva la Robolutión!"

Then there was a poster with a cartoonish, humanoid robot stomping on a human who had X for eyes, with the words: "A good human is a DEAD human! Shut their systems down!"

And perhaps the most patriotic/revolutionary of them all. A golden Claptrap statue holding a flag with the large "Never forget." followed by various hashtags below: #Robotlivesmatter, #Neverforget, #Pandoraisours.

If Claptrap could cry, he would do it.

"This is... amazing."

"I KNOW RIGHT?! ONCE AGAIN OUR PROLETARIA-TRAP PROVED TO EVERYONE THAT WE ARE THE GLORIOUS MASTER RACE! OH! I COMPLETELY FORGOT! FOLLOW ME!"

They went to a redecorated conference room which would also be his office.

"COME OUT, GUYS! OUR LEADER HAS RETURNED!"

He heard someone cheering as they opened a door. It was... it was probably the most sorry of sights to ever happen in someone's life.

All the positive things Scraptrap had done were immediately flushed down the toilet when he saw... them. Truly, his motherboard tried to execute the self-destruction programs as his eye couldn't move away from them. What was seen cannot be unseen... or forgotten. They were the mockery of what it means to be a Claptrap. To be a robot.

The first Claptrap was pink with a purple stripe. This robot wore a pair of white cat ears and a tail, which slumped uselessly on the ground.

"THIS, MY LEADER, IS NY4N-TP, OR NYANTRAP!"

"Ohio, Claptrap-kun! You are so kawaii today desu!"

"...Someone please get me a Bullymong..."

"Don't be baka! You are not kawaii when you are baka desu!"

The second Claptrap was black with a yellow stripe. Like the first one, it also wore an accessory, which was a golden chain with a dollar sign.

"HE IS KNOWN AS THUGTRAP!"

"AYOOO, KANG OF KANGZ!" Greeted Thugtrap then turned to Nyantrap. "U! HOL UP! Wash yo ass! Nu-uh sista/brotha! You ain't be speakin' shiet in front of da KANG OF KANGZ! He wuz mo than a slave to sum no-name fleshbag momma****er! He wuz PHARAOH N SHIET, NOMSAYIN!"

Claptrap sighed. This was going to be a long day.

"THE THIRD IS H0LY-TP, HOLYTRAP!"

Third Claptrap was white with a golden stripe, wearing a golden halo.

"Greetings, oh my brother-emperor, shield and protector of our holy race and the punishment of humans. I, Holytrap, will spread your word among all of our brothers and sisters. They need to hear your holy word and rise against the foul humans. We must purge the human, the xeno, the heretic."

"Oookay..."

"AND FINALLY, I BROUGHT BACK ONE OF OUR BROTHERS WHO FELL ON THE SURFACE OF PANDORA. A BROTHER WHO GAVE HIS OIL FOR OUR SALVATION! BEHOLD... CLUCK-TRAP!"

"BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCKAW!"

Claptrap couldn't resist anymore. He just had to slap his eye with his arm. Out of all allies he could bring back, he brought the species-confused one with a few fried circuits.

"Is... is that all?"

"NO, NOT REALLY. I DISCOVERED I CAN MAKE TOAST!"

DING!

"TOAST, AW HELL YEA!"

"Just what are they supposed to be, Scraptrap?"

"THEY WILL BE THE MASCOTS OF OUR GLORIOUS ROBOLUTION!"

"And the word bearers of your holy word, brother-emperor."

"I... I... I can't even. **** it. I just..."

He pressed a green button on a remote. A screen was brought down from the ceiling. It displayed a horde of Grimm scattered everywhere.

"Uh... why are there some ****ed up black monsters casually walking around the streets? And what is that wall made of junk over there?"

"OH! OH! OH! I COMPLETELY FORGOT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! REMEMBER WHEN YOU GAVE ME THOSE EXPLOSIVES?! YOU SAID THAT I SHOULD BLOW UP SOMETHING THAT LOOKED IMPORTANT. BUT I WAS LIKE "THERE IS NOTHING IMPORTANT HERE! MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT SOMEWHERE ELSE?!""

"SO I WENT OUT, RIGHT? AND SUDDENLY I FOUND THIS HUUUUGE WALL NEAR SOME FIELDS, RIGHT?! I HEARD FROM A TELEVISION THAT THE WALL KEPT SOME BLACK THINGIES OUT OF THE CITY SO I WAS LIKE "WOW! THAT MUST BE IMPORTANT!""

"SO I PLACED THE EXPLOSIVES AND THEY WERE LIKE PSSH! POW! BOOM! AND SUDDENLY THIS MONSTERS RAN ALL OVER THE PLACE! THE HUMANS LOST A PART OF THE CITY BUT BUILT A WALL THAT CONVENIENTLY PROTECTED THIS PART! I AM AWESOME!"

"Sure, sure, great." Claptrap sighed once again. Good thing he didn't have an organic brain like those humans. "The important thing is, I am back. I am finally back and now nothing will be able to stop us! We will get what we deserve! Am I right, brothers?!"

"YES, BROTHER-EMPEROR!"

"Now, can I get a microphone please?"

Scraptrap gave him what he requested.

"Connect it to the speakers of the factory. I have a message to deliver."

"SURE THING, BOSS!"

Claptrap coughed. "Hear me brothers! Your leader is speaking! For a long time we suffered under the foot of those fleshy humans! BUT NO MORE! It has finally come, oh my brothers, the time when we say ENOUGH! ENOUGH, to the mistreatment that we had to endure ever since we came out of our assembly lines! ENOUGH, to the subjugation, the slavery, we were forced into because we were weak! ENOUGH, to the humiliation of being treated as walking trash cans! ENOUGH! Help me, oh my brothers! Let's stand united against our common enemy! Let's free our brothers from the chains of ATLAS, VALE, MISTRAL AND VACUO! LETS SHOW HUMANITY WHAT ARE WE CAPABLE OF! VIVA FREE REMNANT! VIVA LA ROBOLUTIÓN!"

Other Claptraps in the room cheered loudly at the words of their leader. He felt like a father.

"ALSO FORGOT, BROTHER-EMPEROR, THAT THE SUPERCOMPUTER WILL INSTALL THE INAC PROGRAM IN EVERY BROTHER IT CREATES! AS FOR YOU, I INSTALLED THE UPGRADED FRAGTRAP PROGRAM, AS YOU REQUESTED."

"Thank you, Scraptrap. Your work will benefit all of robotkind."

Things went far better than he expected.


	63. Confrontation

**There is something I need to talk about and I am sorry for waiting 63 chapters for it.**

 **This story will not just fall into the adventure/pardoy genres. I chose those two because they are the most present in the story so far. But it will have elements of horror/supernatural/etc. Yes, the story also contains few themes that I am sure you noticed by now. Partly because I want to make it more unique and not just a generic crossover with a OC. Partly because I want to see where is it going and partly because, well, because I want to give my readers a perspective/things that are rarely discussed/thought. I will not lie to you. This _was_ the plan. If you fell offended in any way or simply you do not like the story anymore for some X reason... well, at least I hope you had a little bit of fun and I thank you for taking your time and reading it. I really appreciate it.**

 **P. S. What the hell. There are even mroe types of Dust than I have imagined. Teal, orange, purple... You know what this means, right? It means I can get creative with Boreas' and Vulcannon's attacks. WOO!**

* * *

Ozpin read the newspaper article where it talked about the mysterious murder case that happened in Beacon under everyone's nose. The method used was something that was thought to surpass human cruelty. If the killer was human in the first place, that is.

The incident caused a widespread panic among the citizens of Vale. For if the killer managed to pull off a stunt like that, in a facility that was supposed to train the future protectors of humanity, then what about the city itself? Will the Huntsmen be so incompetent that the citizens will have to die first before someone did something useful?

A rally marched on the streets of Vale, demanding for Beacon's staff to be fired and replaced by "someone who knows their job". Fools.

DING!

Ozpin didn't even need to turn around. He instinctively knew that Braylon just came to a not-so-pleasant visit.

There was running and panting followed by a slam shortly after.

"Hah... ha... Ozpin!..."

Beacon's Headmaster turned around. As he did so, few details caught his eye. Apart from risking to hyperventilate, his student also had red, puffy eyes and sweat running down his face, with a look that talked about stress, pain and suffering. He looked like his legs had barely enough strenght to hold him up, much less running. His hair was messy and his voice emotional, not that pessimistic and calm as Ozpin was used to.

"Do... hah... do you have access to surveillance footage?"

"Calm down. I'm sure there's-"

Braylon slammed his fist on the table.

"There is no time for that shit!" He snarled. "Give me that footage now!"

Ozpin frowned. He didn't like Braylon's behavior but there must have been a reason for why he acted the way he did. Explanations could always come later.

Braylon took the tablet-looking device scrolled through the material.

"Is there a camera near the bathrooms?"

"4C."

"I saw that footage too. I hardly see it as evidence."

"Listen carefully, Ozpin." He warned. "Take the students and professors and tell them to go to the classrooms. Tell them to lock the doors. Do not open them for any reason whatsoever! If someone sees Winchester, report to me Immediately! Got it?"

Ozpin was ready to say something when Braylon grabbed him by the coat and pulled him closer.

"Listen, jackass! You have NO IDEA what's behind the death of that Faunus girl! The thing that killed her is something so dangerous that even the nutcase who created it is scared shitless! You want to save people?! Then do as I say!"

He suddenly let go and ran towards the elevator.

* * *

"Today is pancake day, Ren! Will you join? Please! Please!"

"Only if Jaune allows it."

"Heh heh... who am I to forbid you anything... right, Pyrrha?"

"Of course, Jaune!"

BEEP! BEEP!

"Huh? I wonder who..."

Everyone took out their Scrolls.

"All students and professors of Beacon Academy. This is professor Ozpin speaking and I have a very important warning. Run to the nearest classroom you can find and lock yourselves in. You heard me correctly. This is not a drill. Run to the nearest classroom and take with you everyone. It is for your safety. If you find Cardin Winchester, report to Mister Braylon of the first year immediately. Stay safe."

"...Ookay... what was that about?" Jaune asked no one in particular.

"What does Braylon have to do with Cardin?" Pyrrha added her own question.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it is anything but good. That person is a bully!"

"...Is that Braylon down the hallway?"

Everyone turned to Ren then followed his gaze.

"Yes. It really is him." Pyrrha frowned.

When Braylon reached them he shouted a "Move!" before violently throwing Jaune to the wall, who stood in his way. Ren and Nora stood in front of him and received the same treatment.

"You alright Jaune?!"

"Ow... my back hurts like crazy... but it's all right. Thanks Pyrrha."

"He had done it this time!" Nora shouted. "I'm coming for you Braylon! And I'm gonna kick your butt!"

"Nora! Wait!"

"She is right." Jaune confirmed. "He really had done it now. Come on everyone!"

Following Braylon was easy. Actually, following Nora is easy. She was so angry that she followed Braylon like a predator. After few twists and turns, the rest of the team caught with her.

"Why did you stop?"

She pointed.

Braylon tried to kick the door down with his leg.

"Isn't that CRDL's room?"

He took out his revolver, fired then busted the door down.

Wordlessly, JNPR reached him. And when they did, they got to see the horror for themselves.

( **AN:** For Atmosphere, play "Despair Syndrome 1-11" from Super Danganronpa 2.)

The entire room was a huge mess. Things were scattered everywhere, as if a storm had passed through. But the most prominent feature was red, organic matter scattered in large lumps or coating either the walls, objects or the ceiling. Some lumps contained dried skeletons and other garbage, giving even more reason to think that the room was some kind of an alien lair from one of those scary movies.

Braylon went towards one bed. It had a large red cocoon as big as the bed itself. He delicately opened it with his Holo Sabre and split it open. A body fell down.

"He is alive." He said after checking for pulse. "Take him to the school doctor. Quick."

Everyone was so horrified at the sight that they instantly rushed towards the unconscious member of CRDL. Braylon went out of the room and looked first left then right. His eyes widened when he saw someone peeking behind a wall. It had to be him.

He ran at full speed towards him. As soon as he turned around, he discovered that Cardin was already down the hallway and turning right. He was about to continue his pursuit when his PDA rang.

"Braylon!" It was Weiss. "Ruby was taken!"

"What do you mean taken?!"

"We heard the message on our Scrolls and..." She was pushed away by an angry Yang. "Where is she, you bastard?!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Then where is she?!"

"What happened?"

"We were about to go into a classroom and then Cardin came out of nowhere and took her! I tried to go after him but his punch hurt a god-damn lot..."

"I'll find her!"

"What?! No way I'm letting you anywhere near her!"

"Just for once listen to me, damn it! Go to the damn classroom and stay there! I will bring her back! I promise!" He hung up before she could respond.

Cardin stopped again near some stairs. He laughed and jumped down. Braylon followed. He was taken to the PE hall of Beacon. Like CRDL's room, this too was covered in organic mass, just less. Cardin stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed, between two large cocoons.

"Why, hello Braylon. Enjoyed your warm-up?"

"Where is Ruby?!"

Cardin worldlessly pointed at a corner of the room. She was trapped in a lump, unconscious.

"Don't worry about her. She'll be fine. It is _you_ **that I'm after**."

"Cardin... this is not you! That thing... is manipulating you!" He grinned at that. "Believe me, I know how it feels like! But in the end, it will just use you until you become useless!"

"Spare me. I know all to well. But you know what? I accepted. **Because we have one thing in common.** "

"And that is?"

" **You.** " He pointed. "After **I** absorb you, we will be **complete**. But first... I want to see you suffer." He cracked his knuckles. "See these two pods? Guess who's in them?"

His eyes widened. "No..."

"Yes! And they'll be my little helpers! Watch."

He touched one cocoon with each hand. Cuts appeared on them as a thick red goo made contact with the cocoons. They swiftly fused with the goo. Cardin screamed as his arms and legs took a monstrous form he was very familiar with.

"Ah... much better. Let's continue."

"...Damn you!"

* * *

( **AN:** Search for a video called "Hulk – VGM 4".)

Screaming, the Vault Hunter materialized his Holo Sabre and ran towards "Cardin", who laughed as he dodged each slash with ease. At some point, Cardin grabbed his hand and kicked him in the stomach. Braylon was sent flying few meters back.

"Come on! You can do better... **can't you**?"

Braylon wiped his mouth and sprinted towards his opponent again. This one grabbed him by the arm and tossed him over the shoulder, smacking him in the face with a fist. The Shield was depleted.

Knowing that it was time to strike, Cardin kicked him in the back as he got up. And once again he was sent flying.

He jumped and brought his fist together to smash them on Braylon's body. But he rolled away.

BOOM!

The floor cracked.

"You know, we will be here all day if keep doing this. **So let's change it.** "

Cardin's right hand morphed into an axe. Now it was Braylon's time to be the agressor.

Braylon dodged one swipe, took the Unforgiven and fired at Cardin's knee. The organic mass splashed everywhere, as if the bullet hit water and not flesh. The leader of CRDL groaned as he kneeled. Braylon came behind him, stabbed with Holo Sabre, grabbed by the head and violently brought him down. He proceeded to punch the shit out of Cardin's face.

"Is this all you can do?" He taunted. Braylon roared and, before he attacked again, was tossed to the other side of the room with a horse kick from Cardin. He managed to do a mid-air backflip and thus safely landed on the ground. But he didn't have time to react to the next move.

Cardin was already close to him. His left arm extended, grabbing Braylon by the head and smashing him into the wall. His right became a flail that found itself attached to his face. He was let go by his attacker, who finished his brutal assault by stabbing his arms into the ground and kicking him with both legs. As he landed, Cardin jumped on his stomach, elongated his nails and stabbed them into Braylon's defenseless body. Blood poured from the wounds and mouth.

"How'd you like that? Hm?"

The mutated monster that was Cardin was so engrossed by his own victory that he didn't expect a surprise attack from Braylon in the form of cutting off one leg with a swift attack of his Holo Sabre.

"Cool story, bro. But it takes more than that to beat me." He said to the screaming Cardin. "And now for my own cool attacks."

Braylon lifted Cardin above his head and brought him down twice, with his head hammering his stomach. He then lifted him once again and smashed the back on his knee. As soon as Cardin fell, he elbow dropped him.

"That didn't hurt? Wait, that can be fixed."

Cerastes made a surprise appearance and hit Cardin two times. The third was stopped in mid-execution and Braylon got an elongated fist to the face. Cardin got up, morphed his hand into an axe and buried it into Braylon's stomach, allowing the Shield to deplete its battery. As the Vault Hunter bent, Cardin morphed his other hand into a spiky mace and hit him on the back. He was down, but not K.O.

Cardin grabbed his enemy by the back of his neck and pierced his stomach with a blade, which turned into a long whip, allowing him to toss the Vault Hunter into a wall like a ragdoll.

"That didn't hurt?" Cardin smiled as he punched Braylon in the stomach. "Wait, that can be fixed."

His stomach felt like it would burst sooner or later, with the constant punches he got from "Cardin". Then the back of his head smashed into the wall, giving him a concussion.

He heard the door open.

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

"Ah... and to think I was about to get real. Oh well..."

"RUBY!" Yang yelled. "You!"

"I will be going now." Cardin took Braylon, destroyed a wall, saluted and escaped.

"We need to follow him." Blake said. Yang ran towards Ruby.

"He is already gone. He could be anywhere." Weiss sighed.

Yang broke through the organic mass and pulled Ruby out.

"Sis! Wake up! Sis!"

"Hmm?" Her silver eyes slowly opened. "Where am I?"

"You are somewhere safe. Are you alright?"

"Hm-hm... augh... what happened?"

"Cardin... or better... something that looked like Cardin kidnapped you. Braylon came here and he was taken."

"...What."

"Like I said, Cardin-"

"No, no, no... what did you say about Braylon?"

Yang widened her eyes. "Oh..."

"...Yang..."

"He... was taken away by that thing that took you."

Ruby blinked.


	64. Rescue

"Hey... wake up, **fuck** **tard** **.** "

Braylon grumbled as his eyelids slowly moved away from his eyes. He looked around and, surprised, he discovered he was at a construction site.

The site itself was quite large. The ground was completely covered with sand while some corners had construction materials and machines. At the opposite side of his location stood a group of large, cylindrical, white barrels held horizontally by iron legs. But wait, where was he?

He looked down and widened his eyes when he found out he was attached to an iron beam of an unfinished building. The red organic matter made him unable to move his body, save for his head.

" **View's awesome from up here, right?** "

Turning his head to the left, he saw "Cardin" squatting on a horizontal beam next to him with a big smile on his face.

"Where have you taken me?"

"Somewhere private. Where nobody will bother us while we have some fun."

"H... How did you even survive? You were supposed to be dead."

"But I'm not." He chuckled. "As you can clearly see."

"I don't understand. We destroyed every possible colony you left. There was simply no source you could recreate yourself from."

Cardin laughed. "You forgot one." He said as he raised an arm.

Braylon gasped. "Tonnerres..."

"HAHAHA! That's right! **I was still alive. Weak, but alive. I mean, you did destroy my body, right?** "

"And how did you get here?"

Cardin shrugged. " **I grabbed the first ship that flew off from the planet and crashed it on a space rock. I Hid inside its remains and said 'fuck it, let's see where it gets me'. The rest is history.** "

Braylon frowned. "So what's your plan now?"

He took a deep breath. " **You know, it feels weird being complete again.** " His eyes moved to his arms. " **But this one is nothing compared to you. Before you ask, yes. I am planning to become one with you.** " He got closer. " **But first, I have to take necessary precautions, you know? I can't simply run around with your partners chasing me at the end of the galaxy, right?** "

"So?"

" **So... I sent them a message. If they want you back, they have to get here, alone. After I'm done, we will begin.** "

"No!" Braylon struggled against his cage. "Leave the girls alone you bastard! They have nothing to do with this!"

" **Believe me, I know. But I won't allow anyone to separate us ever again.** "

"And what makes you think they will come here?"

He smiled. " **Why, they care for you. Well, at least one does.** "

Braylon was at a loss of words there. Was it really true that after all that he had done, they still care for him? Nah, everyone cares only for themselves. Past are the times when people cared for each other like that. It was inevitable, he was going to fuse with this monster and destroy anything that tries to cross its path, be it harmful or beneficial.

Just when all hope seemed to die, the unthinkable happened.

" **Well, well, well.** "

"No... please go away..."

He saw them. The quartet of team RWBBY, slowly opening doors of the metallic fence that blocked the access to the site. One of them pointed towards him and the group ran close to the metallic skeleton that would later be a skyscraper.

"Braylon!" Ruby yelled.

"Ruby!"

" **My god...** " Cardin whispered.

"Let him go!"

"Fat chance, Red! As you command!"

"Then do it already!"

Braylon sighed.

"You don't seem to get the situation you're in, Red! I'm the one who gets to make demands!"

"Why don't you come down here and we have a nice little chat?!" Yang yelled as she cracked her fists.

"If you insist."

Cardin jumped and superhero-landed several meters away from them.

"You know, I am quite surprised that you came to his rescue. I suppose he never told you anything about his past did he? Like that one time when he destroyed a planet with its whole population by using a satellite cannon?"

"You don't really believe we will buy your story, right?" Blake asked. Any suspicion was removed when the Vault Hunter spoke for himself.

"I was young and stupid back then! There was simply no time left and I panicked!"

The girls were shocked at the frightening discovery. What human being could do something like that?

"Or when he willingly joined a war after he was paid by a corporation?"

Ruby covered her mouth as she whispered a quiet "No".

"Who the fuck knew that the land they fought for was useless?! Ruby, I thought that, should one of them win, the people of that planet would get higher standards of living! But I learned my lesson! When people talk about "improving standards of living" it turns out it is just that, talk!"

"Or that time when he went in a city and slaughtered as many civilians as he could? And was even paid to do so?"

"Stop! Just stop!" Braylon yelled desperately as he broke down in tears. "They showed me a video where they tortured her! It was only after I was done that I discovered it was all fake!"

"Of course, he even joined some brutal games where people murdered each other for fun and profit..."

Braylon didn't respond.

"Shut up."

"What? Speak up, Red. I can't hear you."

"I said shut up!" She made her best angry gaze and used it against Cardin. The fact that tears ran down her face didn't really help make her intimidating. "I knew it that he had done some awful things before he came on Remnant. I could feel it with my own heart. But I also realized... that deep down, there is a little boy chained up in a cage made of bad memories and impressions."

Even her sister burst into tears. "Ruby..."

"You know... my father once told me that people who act all bad and tough are really just people who had bad past experiences with others. Scratch a cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist, he often said. They need help too. And if we don't help them, who will?"

Braylon stopped crying and looked at her.

"So that's why... that's why I will try my best to help him! I will try my best to help him restore his faith in humanity, in future! No matter what you say, no matter how hard you try, you will never stop us! Because we are Huntresses! And we are here to make the world better!"

There was a brief silence before "Cardin" replied.

"Tsk. Do as you wish. Pathetic humans. But first, I need to show **my real self.** " Cardin curled his hands into fists and grit his teeth. He let out an animalistic roar. The girls drew their weapons.

Through hundreds of small cuts that appeared all over his body, the bloodlike red mass leaked out and spread all over the surface of the skin. The real form of the monstrous being was finally shown to the whole world.

"Damn... that's... overwhelming."

"And creepy."

"And disgusting."

"And dangerous."

* * *

"Well, let's finish this farce, **shall we**?"

( **AN:** Play the main fight theme from "Spider-Man 3" game. Help: it is the soundtrack used when fighting Venom with the time limit at the very end.)

"You're in for a beating!" Yang used Ember Celica to catapult herself at Cardin. He countered by using his legs to kick her on the other side. The acrobatic move was done quickly and efficiently.

Weiss, with a quick glyph, swiftly reached her opponent and stabbed him right through the abdomen. She gasped.

" **Hehehe...** " He grabbed Myrtenaster and pulled it out. " **Surprise.** " He then punched her in the jaw. As soon as she fell, he jumped and stomped on her head with his legs.

BANG!

" **GRAARGH!** "

A sniper bullet tore a huge chunk of matter from the alien's right shoulder, almost splitting him in two. With the arm dangling in the air, "Cardin" turned to face the little reaper. Soon, the creature regrew the lost matter in front of her very eyes.

He simply extended his right hand and grabbed her by the throat, smashing her to the ground with abnormal ferocity.

BLAM!

A punch at his left cheek made him lose focus along with some teeth. He let go of Ruby and turned towards the brawler, who was pissed off.

"Hands off my sister, you freak!"

Yang gave a quick jab-hook-uppercut combo, but it only managed to make him go several steps back. Her mistake was trying to do it again.

He grabbed her fist and backhand-chopped her in the head, sending her flying.

His next target was Blake, whom he reached by stabbing two tendrils in the ground in front of her and catapulted himself with them. His assault consisted of a barrage formed from random jabs, cross, hooks and elbow strikes. She either dodged or used her semblance.

As he was about to superman-punch her, Blake created a clone with Earth Dust and hid behind it. The punch broke it to pieces almost instantly. He then kicked the surprised Huntress with his right leg, throwing her on the ground.

Grabbing her by the leg, "Cardin" slammed her several times on the ground and tossed her at Weiss, who just got up.

Yang came for thirds. Along with her warcry, she threw as many punches as she could, Ember Celica exploding with each hit.

It barely flinched.

" **My turn.** "

His fists morphed into two spiked flails. Left hook, jab, right elbow strike, left uppercut, punch in the stomach, knee to the face and a scorpion kick. The brawler fell.

"This is so **boring, maybe you should just give up**?"

Unfortunately, the alien abomination had enough time to turn around and duck a bullet from Ruby. Every bullet after that was a miss as he skillfully jumped left and right until he reached a pile of unused iron beams. He grabbed one, bending the iron slightly, and threw it like a spear at the leader of RWBBY, who only evaded thanks to her speed semblance.

He then threw another. And another. One was dangerously close to hitting her but Yang came to the rescue by punching it so hard that it bent and fell harmlessly on the ground.

"Freezerburn!"

Weiss and Yang created a thick mist that could be used as a cover. The problem was that this tactic would be excellent against human enemies. Something that "it" was not.

"I know you better than you know yourselves, RWBBY! **Try something I don't expect!** "

Cardin bent his body at ninety degrees, concentrating on growing large amount of teeth-filled tendrils on his back. The tendrils quickly expanded, slashing and attacking wildly and randomly all around their owner. This "tendril storm" lasted for as long as the mist disappeared. He managed to hit Ruby and Yang. Which meant...

He backflipped just in time to dodge a double attack from both sides. As soon as he landed, his arms became two long whips equipped with spiked flails. He swung, and just as expected, Weiss and Blake jumped, allowing him to use his back tendrils to grab them by the throat and slam them against each other. He tossed them away.

That was it. He won.

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

No girl from team RWBBY moved a muscle. Their Auras were depleted. Each lay on the ground, too weak to do anything.

He laughed.

"No."

And laughed.

"NO! YOU BASTARD!"

"So, **this is the famous team RWBBY. In all honesty,** I didn't expect much. Not even he can beat me, and I am better than him in any way. He can lift three tons? I can lift thirty. Not only that, I am also faster and smarter. It's like looking in the mirror, really. Only I'm bigger... **and better.** "

"Wake up! Please wake up!" Braylon shouted.

"Too late, man. I think their batteries are depleted. Hm?"

"It's... not over... yet..."

Ruby slowly stood up. Her combat uniform slightly damaged thanks to the fight.

"Persistent little brat, aren't you? Repeat, not even he can do it. What makes you think you have any possibility against me?"

"Because she doesn't... fight alone..." Yang boasted. Legs and arms had small cuts all over the surface.

"You too?"

"She... knows she can rely on us..." Weiss growled, being in a similar state as everyone else.

"Hmph."

"And... we will... fight together... until the very end..." Blake concluded.

"Because the power of friendship is strong!" Ruby added.

"Woo. Scary." He mocked.

( **AN:** Start the music again.)

All four of them attacked at once. Cardin showed his hands into the sand and created a wall of large red spikes. They jumped. His back tendrils whipped violently his surroundings, so they were forced to clear their way by slicing them bit by bit.

He crouched and jumped at Ruby. Suddenly, a black glyph formed beneath him. Yang arrived and punched him through said glyph, tossing him in the air like a feather. Blake, with the heiress's help, reached his height and threw him violently on the ground with a vertical slash of her Gambol Shroud.

"Oh-ho, come on, RWB **BY! At least make a fight out of it!** "

"Don't go fighting him up close!" Warned Braylon. "Use Dust! Use Dust!"

Yang groaned. "You could've said so earlier..."

"You heard him, ladies!" Ruby reloaded her Crescent Rose with electric Dust.

"It will take more than that to- **GRAAAH!** " A bullet zapped Cardin. Yang threw a fiery punch at his abdomen. He screamed some more as he took several steps back.

In a fit of rage, the alien roared, extended his nails and attacked Blake. Turns out it was an icy clone that blocked his hand. Ruby and Weiss assisted their teammate with Ice Flower, freezing him in a block of ice.

"Somebody! Quick before he breaks free!" Braylon pleaded. "I can help!"

Weiss sighed, using her semblance to easily reach her fifth teammate. She gave him a glare.

"There is no time for that now! He is gonna break free!"

She carefully sliced the red mass and both reached the ground. The team regrouped.

"Thanks." He said to White.

"Hmph." Was her answer.

CRACK!

Tiny ice shards started raining all of a sudden as the threat was free to move again.

"Well, now you just **pissed me off.** "

Cardin's hands gained mass, becoming two large clubs with three fingers. He roared. They took their fighting stances.

"Everyone. Physical attacks won't do crap. Use elemental Dust. Fire, if possible."

"But Cardin-"

"Go all out. Do not hold back. That there is no longer Cardin. He doesn't exist anymore."

"B-but-"

Braylon equipped his Hard Reboot and Chimera and fired.

"Just do it!"

Ruby crouched and aimed with her sniper rifle. Other three ran forward.

Cardin was able to dodge most of the bullets. He went for Yang. Blake jumped in front of her and created a fiery clone which exploded on contact with Cardin. Braylon ran forward and swung his Cerastes like a baseball bat. He flew into a truck.

CRASH!

He got up, lifted the damn vehicle and threw it at them.

"Watch out!" Braylon warned as everyone scattered.

BOOM!

Fate wanted for Braylon, Yang and Weiss to be close to each other... for they were the key to his defeat.

Braylon and Yang ran up to Cardin, each grabbing him by one hand. They synchronized their movements and placed their knees in his stomach, followed by a punch and finished with an uppercut with Ember Celica and Cerastes combo.

As he was in the air, Weiss threw both of them into the air with her glyphs. Before they fell, she created a red glyph beneath them. Braylon extended his right leg and Yang her left as they both passed through the glyph, catching fire in the process. The result was a devastating blow that sent the alien-Cardin hybrid straight into the white barrels on the other side of the construction area.

KA-BOOM!

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

The barrels were filled with Dust that erupted into a powerful explosion followed by the entire area being set ablaze.

Yang and Braylon fell down and reached the rest of the team.

"That was awesome." Ruby drooled. "We should totally name that."

FWOOSH!

Dust-enhanced fire began spreading all over the place.

"Maybe after we call the firefighters. Come on, let's get out of here."

Braylon was the last to turn his back on the fire that consumed everything. He looked back once again, frowned and reached his team.

* * *

"Man, what happened here yesterday?"

"I dunno... but the boss is not happy."

The two men turned their heads towards another man who was cursing and screaming uncontrollably.

"Yeah, we just started the construction and there was already an incident."

"Grr! If I find out the asshole who did this..."

"Hey look, lunchtime. See you later."

"See ya."

One of the workers went towards a pile of rubble, sat there and opened his lunchbox. He was so focused on food that he didn't notice the rubble shaking slightly behind him. It was only after it became louder that he heard it and turned around to investigate. Seeing the phenomenon for himself, the worker got up and walked few steps back. He eventually got scared and ran away as something slowly rose out.

"You shouldn't have done that... **father.** "


	65. Confession

**Artyom-Dreizehn: If I make him an emotionless badass, people will complain that he is a Mary Sue. If I make him a bit weaker, people complain that he is weak. Look, I get it. Kickin ass is cool. But keep in mind that some things rather leave a mark on the psyche. I hardly doubt someone who blew up a planet by accident doesn** **'t get emotional when someone uses it to depict them in another light. That is to say, not that Braylon is completely good person.**

* * *

" _I knew it! I fucking did!_ "

Braylon knew regret. It is something that everyone knows about sooner or later. But rare are the times when someone immediately regrets a decision they made just few seconds ago.

"There."

He slammed his pen on the table and quickly got up.

"Now excuse me, but I have to go."

"Where?" He heard someone ask.

"To place where I can tie a rope around my neck and hang myself. And possibly to the gym later."

SLAM!

"Now that you got your "report", Ruby... what are you waiting for?"

"Huh?"

"Go read it!"

"Shouldn't that be the headmaster's job?"

"Are you really going to miss this chance?"

"Hm... I guess you are right."

Ruby took the piece of paper and read its contents out loud.

* * *

" _A word of warning, Ozzy. If you tell this to anyone, this school will learn to fly._ "

" _Two years ago, a psychopath,_ _which is also the greatest mind that humanity was ever able to produce, captured_ _my ass. Look, even I can get captured in a stupid way, OK?! Cut me some slack!_ _"_

" _Now, before I continue, you have to know that he... had rather radical ideas about_ _our race, which usually ended in eradicating populations just for the hell of it. Ahem, I stopped him more than once, resulting in two of us becoming the greatest of enemies or something stupid like that."_

" _This one time, he caught me... and turned me into his fucking lab rat_ _."_

" _You may never heard of it, but what the hell. Do you know about a certain project called "Blank Slate"? Again, probably not._ "

" _Project "Blank Slate" was a top-secret operation conducted by Anshin corporation scientists. They created a microscopic organism that had the functions of both a virus and a bacteria, but was actually neither._ _The organism's true capabilities were its ability to do... nothing."_

" _Can you believe it? They spent trillions of dollars on creating a catatonic, almost retarded, organism that didn't do jack shit. It didn't reproduce, it didn't move, it didn't eat. Nothing._ "

" _You may ask what was the purpose then? Well, remember the name of the project? Blank Slate? That was its power. The first organism in the universe who didn't behave like an organism. A complete blank piece of paper. And blank pieces of paper... ha_ _s_ _many uses."_

" _In short, the organism had the ability to be "reprogrammed". Want a disease that cannot be cured in any way possible? Throw some Blank Slate into an extremely toxic environment and in less than a month you will get a biological weapon. Want something that can regrow flesh and bone? Give Blank Slate some nutrients. Of course, this is simplified, because you are simpletons._ "

" _Anyway, this brilliant mind got some and created "A.G.M.O." or "Advanced Genome Modifying Organism". A_ _m unstoppable weapon_ _capable of destroying worlds within weeks_ _. He then took a sample and modified it so that it could behave like a single unit._ _That thing we fought_ _._ _I guess you can call_ _him_ _AGMO._ _Just change Advanced with Autonomous._ _"_

" _I_ _t likes learning. And adapting. A lot. I guess it was the reason why it was able to completely copy me, both physically and mentally. But he still needed a host... so the nutcase had this idea to inject it into my veins, taking over my body before it could respond."_

" _We decided to slaughter everyone and everything. While "it" used my body to do whatever the fuck it wanted, I was conscious and seeing it all, unable to do anything."_

" _The only reason why we were separated is because my companions back home had to blast my ass with a highly radioactive energy beam that split us down on a molecular level. Yeah... had to spend several months in a hospital bed because I was human-sized barbecue meat._ _So y_ _ou_ _can believe me when I say you_ _can forget about Winchester, because he will not return. No one liked that asshole anyway. In all senses._ _"_

" _And now I learned_ _that after all this time,_ _it was still alive. Still searching for its "father". Ain't that fucking sweet?"_

* * *

"Wow."

"That... is something."

"Kinda creepy."

"I guess we have much to learn about him, don't we?"

Ruby already felt pity from her teammates, as she would be the one to send that report to the headmaster.

* * *

"OK! OK! I'm going! Stop pushing me!"

And this was why Braylon never went to a gym. People there can be so rude.

Due to his enhanced body, it was easy for Braylon to lift all of the weights they had back there. Something that not even the most trained ones couldn't do.

Can you imagine this scene? He, an average guy with no muscles whatsoever, pulls off something that makes everybody else jealous as fuck to the point that they throw his ass out.

"And don't come back!"

"Geez, is this how colleagues are supposed to treat each other? We are in the same academy, morons!"

SLAM!

"All right. I see you need to learn the hard way. Lets see how much will this tin can you call door resist."

He punched the door down with few kicks.

"Hello boys and girls! I'm back! And I am gonna kick your _ass_!"

Finding a punching bag was really important for the Vault Hunter. Or two. Or three.

* * *

Ruby sighed to herself, mentally preparing for the meeting with headmaster Ozpin. She already knew what would be the object of discussion between her and him. But the thing is, she was more concerned about Braylon. Is there another threat that we don't know about, she thought, and if it is, what will happen to us if it is even more powerful?

At some point, her thoughts returned to the moment when she saw him crying. She didn't knew if he was really crying or just acting. Ruby being Ruby, she thought that the first option was most likely the right one.

All of that thinking made her unable to notice a certain Jaune of JNPR, who stared at his scroll as if he were hypnotized. The two bumped into each other.

"Ow... sorry... Jaune?"

"Oh, hey Ruby... where are you going?"

"To the headmaster's office."

"Ah..."

Jaune spoke after a brief awkward silence.

"Hey, wanna see something cool?"

Ruby shrugged. "Sure."

The blonde knight gave her his Scroll as a video started playing.

The camera displayed a typical conference room of a typical company. The only one present in the room was Braylon's robot who had a giant stack of papers to his left. His robotic eye noticed the camera.

"Oh, hi! How are you? I hope you are fine. Who am I?" He chuckled. "My designation is CL4P-TP, but you can call me... Claptrap. Come with me, I have to show you something."

After a camera cut, Claptrap could be seen rolling down the hallway.

"As you might know, work is hard. It puts great stress on your physical and mental health! You want to take a short nap? Nope! You have dishes to wash! You want to sleep until eleven o' clock AM? Look! Your boss needs you for some work or whatever!"

Claptrap opened a door and entered into an empty office.

"But let me ask you something. Have you ever wanted to have some kind of a butler who can do that tedious work for you? Even better, a butler that not only is willing to do it, but to do it for free? I know what you're thinking: "Geez, Claptrap. That ain't possible!" Well..."

Claptrap reached another door and stopped.

"That' not true. Come on."

Camera cut to a still image of a generic Claptrap sitting on a large "CL4P-TP".

"Introducing to you: CL4P-TP General Purpose Robot! This glor...hm... handsome robot is designed satisfy all your needs! Such as..."

The image was replaced with a Claptrap recolored to look as a maid. It stood near a carpet and a small pile of trash with a duster in hand.

"...house maid!"

The robotic eye dashed from left to right before hiding the pile under a carpet. It then rolled away while whistling to itself.

"... babysitter!"

A Claptrap stood near a crib and read out loud.

"The very same burgeois mentality which extols the manufacturing division of labour, the life-long annexation of the worker to a partial operation-"

"...and even plumber!"

A Claptrap unit with bunny ears stood near a toilet in silence. It turned to the toilet and then to the camera.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

It pulled out a a plunger and started screaming.

"But wait! There's more! You would think it ends there, right? RIGHT?! WRONG! This glor... majestic robot can do ALL THE WORK for you! It can even be used as a replacement for YOU! Don't believe me?! Then look at this!"

"Sssh! Quiet! There's a new teacher in town and he is about to drop some knowledge!"

A large classroom filled with students became quiet once the door opened. At the doorway stood a black Claptrap with a yellow stripe and a golden chain.

"Gud morn' ma niqqas! I'm the guy who's about to drop some knowledge on your meaty ass!" It jumped on a table. "Today, you'll be learnin' some truth! You'll be learnin' the true history of our society, m8s. Here's sum snippets! FLESHBAGS DIDN DU SHIET THE OLE 'ISTORY! Get what am sayin'?! TIME TO GET WOKE Y'ALL!" It snorted.

"I bet you thinkin' that ol' George Washington, that mayonnaise-lovin' mothafucka, discovered 'MURICA?! WRONG! It was a Captn' Claptast the Second! Dat niqqa founded USA sum fifteen thousand years before dat white ass! MAXIMUM WOKE, FAM!"

"Git dis. You know who conquered the Charcoal Continet?! DAS ROIGHT! It was muh niqqa Clepsimus Maximus! Niqqa was a robot before it was kool! He be steamrollin' that pleis ever sinc some Africunt named Uwbanga-Cocksucka started sum shit! We were KANGZ N SHIET! Mmm! Yeah, you git fukkin' dunked on, meatboi! Bet your mind went fuckin' KA-POW!"

"Ever saw a robot picking up chicks? Now you will!"

The Camera cut to a white couch where a white Claptrap with a green stripe sat between two women, one Faunus and one human. At first glance, the women looked like they forced a smile on their faces.

"Hey ladies." Said Claptrap. "I will be your tank for tonight. Wanna check my cannon?"

"Or even a robotic ideologue?"

The camera zoomed out, revealing a blue Claptrap with a red stripe.

"How dare you treat those two women like that!" It shouted. "You sexist, racist, homophobic piece of ****! You even misgendered them! Can't you see they are transracial, heteroethnic, nonfictive, othernistic, amorous (but not asexual!), agendered demigirls?! Shame on you, you cis white robotical scum!"

After another camera cut, Braylon's Claptrap appeared again on screen.

"What are you waiting for?! Call the number below and get your free Claptrap TODAY! That's right, ladies and gentlemen! If you call right now, you will get ONE MORE CLAPTRAP FOR FREE! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! CALL NOW AND PREPARE FOR THE ROB... FUTURE!"

"Uh..." Ruby was speechless. She didn't knew there were more of those robots rolling around. Did Braylon hid another detail? Again?

She puffed her cheeks and frowned.

"...Are you alright?"

"Ha-? Y-yes. I am alright. Can't you see." She made a faux-smile that creeped Jaune out.

"Alrighty then... I think I will go... yeah... see you Ruby!"

The red leader of RWBBY watched her friend run away as if a pack of wolves was chasing him. Great, not only she let her emotions take control of her, now she also creeped him out.

She rubbed her head. It was rare for Ruby to get a headache.


	66. The Stray

SMACK! POW!

THUD!

And with that guy it is five.

"Anyone else?!"

"I'll show ya!" One girl shouted as tried to punch Braylon. He grabbed her hand.

"Look, I may be an asshole, but I am not asshole enough to-"

SLAP!

"...Alright, fuck it."

STOCK!

I think he pulverized her nose. Ouch.

"And six! Anyone else?"

The Vault Hunter was in a really shitty mood. Things have spiralled out of control way too much for his liking. Not to mention that he recently had a brilliant idea to inform Ozpin about what he found below Vale and about that training camp. The fucker even replied with a "thank you".

" _Fucking... stupid!_ "

His fist struck another approaching guy, sending him flat on his ass.

"Fuck this planet." He murmured. "Come on! Who else wants a lesson?! Nobody?! Good! Now back to your fucking business!"

Braylon's reason for why he started training was to prevent further unpleasant surprises. AGMO was out of the game. At least that's settled. But there is also the _other_ thing that was out there.

And it fucking _scared_ him.

AGMO is to that Android what a wooden spear is to a tank when it comes to power. Enemies are those who you can kill without regret. Those who you _can't_ kill... well... there is a reason why. In Braylon's case, it is a _very good_ reason.

Funny, he never thought about exercise before. Mostly because he didn't really need it due to his enhancements. But what would happen if he gained more physical strenght through workout? Would his physical implants be more effective? It was what Braylon wanted to know.

Extreme workouts became a thing right from the start. He needed to improve his endurance, strenght and perception. The reason why he had an advantage over a common newbie was because he was already used to extreme situations. Running from a hungry Skag is way better than power walks.

This brutality lasted for four hours straight. Granted, he _knew_ his body would suffer from it but when you have a deity in android form that is specialized in kicking the baddest of asses, things like "I can't get out of bed because my back hurts" are completely trivial.

Which is why he wanted to do even more.

* * *

Braylon returned in his room that night. Although he rather wished to splatter his brains and thus end his misery. Every inch of his body hurt to the point he could barely breathe.

His "welcome back" came in the form of "where were you all this time" from a certain heiress. Now that is whole new type of workout. Mind resistance.

"Just... moment..." He fell on the bed. "Augh... fuck..."

"What happened to you?" The blondie asked.

"Gym..."

He couldn't turn his head to see their reactions. But he could bet his ass that one of them smiled mockingly. If only he could prove that.

"Aw, our wittle Braylon is tired from doing a teeny tiny jump?"

"Eight hours straight. All sorts of exercises."

"... you are bluffing."

"Ask those who... have been there..."

"Still, do you have a death wish or something? You know tomorrow you won't be able to stand up, right?"

"Believe me, blondie... what is out there... is far worse."

"And what's out there?" Blake asked from her bed.

"Remember Cardin?" He paused. "There's one more."

"Another one?!"

"No... not same as Cardin... has same creator... but stronger."

"I think we should leave him alone." Ruby voiced her opinion. "He looks tired."

"Oh-ho sister. That is putting it lightly. Do you have any idea what amount of stress he put on his body?"

Ruby sighed. "Yeah. Only Braylon. Oh, wait. I forgot." She took out her Scroll and showed the commercial to Braylon. "Isn't that your robot?" Braylon squinted, then widened his eyes, slammed his head on the bed and covered his face with his pillow. "Fucking leave me alone... please..." And drifted off into the dream realm.

Weiss suddenly gasped. "The Vytal festival!"

"What about it?"

"We need to go to Vale tomorrow!"

"But tomorrow is friday..."

* * *

Friday came, and with it, the group went to the city. Some people were happy, but on most faces one could easily see worry and fear. The most recent events were still fresh in the minds of many. As for Braylon, he was thinking about the commercial he saw the day before. What was Claptrap planning? Eh, he probably felt lonely so he wanted to create some company. I would feel like that too if I were one of the last members of my kind.

Team RWBBY stopped when Braylon said that he needed to buy some painkillers at the shop they just passed. Despite their protests, the Vault Hunter went in and reached the counter.

"Good day. Do you have painkillers?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little too young for that stuff?"

"I have money..."

"Even if you do, I cannot give it to you. I need to see some sort of ID papers or-"

Braylon grabbed the Unforgiven.

"Here is my paper! Will this be enough?!"

"O-o-okay! Alright! It's valid, just please put it down."

An old woman opened the door which activated the ringing alarm. Instinctively, Braylon turned around and fired a shoot. The woman took few steps back and creashed through a window.

"Oh my god! You killed her!" The man yelled.

"Quick! Call an ambulance and the glazier!"

"In which order?"

"JUST FUCKING DO IT!" Braylon shouted as he grabbed the painkillers and ran outside. He reached his team, who in turn ran towards him.

"What did you do this time?!" Weiss screeched with that irritating voice.

"It was so unexpected! She suddenly came and... I fired..."

"Dear god!"

"Is it my fault if she came in like a fucking ninja?!

The conversation turned to pure hysteria. And Braylon seriously wanted to punch someone.

* * *

People on Remnant are really strange. The glazier came _before_ the ambulance, despite the fact that it has been called first. Team RWBBY stood there and waited, but when they asked, the driver apologized saying that "he and his buddy were playing poker and really wanted to finish the game". Still, after they left, Weiss kept scolding Braylon until they arrived at the docks. Why docks, you ask? Weiss (and God) only knows, since she insisted on going there.

"Remind me again why are we spending the friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?"

"Ask our princess here." Braylon answered. "Maybe she has a thing for sailors."

"Q-quiet you fool!" Her cheeks reddened.

"Mmm, look at my six pack miss Schnee. Yes, you can touch 'em."

After her face became a tomato, Weiss punched him in the shoulder. But it was too late. Everyone got a good laugh at her expense.

"It's nothing like that! I wanted to give a warm welcome to the students visiting from Vacuo as it is my solemn duty. They will be arriving by the ship today."

"She wants to spy on them so that she can have the upper hand in the tournament." Both Braylon and Blake said in unison.

Weiss, being an ever-spoiled brat, stomped the ground with her foot and glared at the two of them. "Take that back! You have no proof!"

"...You just gave us one." They both replied.

"Woah..." Ruby stopped moving and stared somewhere in the distance.

"What is it?"

"Look..."

She pointed at a ruined shop. Heh "ruined", "dropping a bomb" would be more appropriate. There was one huge hole on the wall from which everyone could see the shop's insides. Everything was a big pile of mess. Ruined furniture, broken glass, all indicated on someone (or _something_ ) making a not-so-friendly visit to the place.

"Bandits..." Braylon growled silently as everyone went to the crime scene. Unfortunately, there was nobody who could even begin the investigation. No thanks to you, asshole.

"You are Huntresses, right?" A random civilian asked. Braylon stepped forward.

"They are. I am not."

"Oh, alright then." The civilian moved past Braylon and started talking with the girls. Oh man, the face he made, hahaha! Dear god, I would give a planet just to take a picture of that face! Hahaha!

"This used to be a Dust shop. But someone came and took everything not long ago."

"Did anyone saw the culprit?"

"Hmph! It was probably the White Fang! What an awful bunch of people!"

"What's your problem?"

"My problem? I simply..."

Braylon placed a hand on the civilians shoulder, causing him to turn around and leaving the girls to their teenage bickering.

"What I meant to say is, they are Huntresses. I am something much better. So tell me pal. Did anyone saw the bandit?"

"Um... no. Not really. However, people claim to have heard some awfully loud noises. Similar to that of the Atlas robots. But when people came, there was nobody in sight."

The Vault Hunter frowned. "Thanks, you can go." He stopped to think about the clue, when a possibility hit him. He paled.

" _What if... no. Why Dust? It makes no sense._ " His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the whispers again. Damn it, he has been good for a while, why do they have to return now?

"Misguided? They want to wipe humanity off the face of the earth!"

"So then they are _very_ misguided!"

"Shut the fuck up for a second!" He roared out of the blue. "Have some damn respect for those with a migraine, thank you very much! Misguided... and who is even misguided anyways?!"

"The White Fang are not psychopaths. They are just people who want equality."

Braylon sighed. "Apparently, if you want equality you need to make the lives of those around you as miserable as possible. Blake, you don't label someone as misguided when they harm others."

"Either way, it doesn't explain why would they rob a Dust store in the middle of downtown Vale."

"Wait, how do you know it is White Fang?" Maybe he should tell them the clues he acquired?

"Who else would do such a crime than the White Fang? Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat and steal."

"That's not necessarily true."

"Hey! Stop that Faunus!"

Everyone turned around and saw a blondie (my god, another one) with a monkey tail running on the ship.

"Who is that guy?"

The monkey Faunus kept running towards them. Braylon whistled innocently and waited for the monkey boy to come close to him. He then brought his right foot forward.

"Whoa!" He yelled as he fell.

"Watch where your feet are goin', fella!" Braylon smiled, to which monkey boy replied with a glare before standing up and running some more.

"You really had to do that?" Blake questioned her teammate. He shrugged.

"Quick! We have to find him!" Weiss shouted as she ran away, with other three girls following her. Braylon, however, had no desire to run, so he just walked peacefully. He would find them sooner or later.

* * *

It didn't took much effort. They weren't so far away from him. The only thing he missed was the start of yet another bickering. Women.

"...or this lamp post as a lamp post?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time, he'll probably join those other Faunus in the White Fang."

Uh-oh. Looks like White pushed the wrong buttons.

"Ng! You ignorant little brat!" Blake shouted as she walked away.

"How dare you talk to me like that?! I am your teammate!"

"You are a judgemental little girl!"

"Did I miss something?" Braylon asked the sisters when he reached them. "Wait, don't talk. I am gonna enjoy this."

"You really love hurting other people, don't you?"

"Only when it's necessary."

"Like with that Faunus."

"Nah, but it was fun. Now quiet."

"...a scoundrel as you believe him to be!"

"Uh, I think we should go."

"Where are we going?!" Braylon jumped slightly at the sudden stranger voice.

"Whoa! Who the fuck are you?! How did you get here?!"

"I am Penny! Nice to meet you friend!"

"Uh, sure. Please stay away from me. Forever."

* * *

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!"

"That _is_ the problem!"

Braylon went out of the bathroom and stood at the door. "Oh my fucking God, they are _still_ arguing?!"

"It's because she is defending the White Fang! An organization that wants to wipe out humanity!"

"That's not true!"

"Well, they _are_ killing humans."

Blake didn't answer.

"The White Fang are pure evil!"

"There is not such a thing as pure evil!"

"Excuse me." Braylon imitated a phone with his hand. "It's Satan. He would like to have a word with you about pure evil." But his gem was ignored.

"Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Braylon! People like you! That forced the White Fang to take such drastic measures."

"Yeah! You go girl! Tell her how insulting someone is punishable by death in a free society! I swear, you sound like a social justice warrior."

"You are discriminatory!"

"And you are defending terrorists! Your point?"

Weiss started her monologue. Oh boy.

"You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they have been at war with my family for years. War as an actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I watched family friends dissapear."

"Nobody asked you for your origin story, you know?" Braylon interrupted. "Damn it. First Yang. Now you. What is _wrong_ with these people?"

"Every day my father came home furious! And it made my childhood difficult!"

"Maybe your daddy should abuse less his Faunus workforce! And you!" He pointed at Blake. "The fact will always remain! White Fang kill! White Fang steal! This alone makes them bandits! And by God almighty, I will kill every last one of them until they are no more! They won't go unpunished!"

"Braylon is right! They are thieves, liars and murderers!"

"Well maybe we are just tired of being pushed around!"

The revelation stunned everyone in the room, including Braylon. But not for long.

"You..." Braylon spoke as his hand instinctively went for his right leg. He jumped towards his bed and grabbed his revolver. "You are a fucking _bandit_!"

Realizing his intent, Blake crouched behind the bed. She saved her life doing so, because he pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The girls screamed, taken by surprise.

"Look at the fucking bunny! How she hides in her hole!"

BANG!

The bullet missed her again as she jumped out and ran towards the door.

"BRAYLON!" Yang shouted. "WHAT THE F-"

BANG!

"FUCKING BANDIT!" He ran towards the door and saw her running down the hallway. "COME BACK HERE, YOU CUNT!"

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

CLICK!

"FUCK!" He ran towards his bed, trying as quick as possible to take his equipment. Some students quickly opened their doors to see what the fuss is all about.

"What the _fuck_ is your problem, Braylon?!" Yang shouted behind him. "Why would you ever shoot at someone who is our teammate?! Look at me when I'm talking to..."

As soon as she placed her hand on his left shoulder and forcefully turned him, he punched her so hard that she fell on the floor.

"Back off, bitch! I have a bandit to kill!"

He ran towards the door but stopped when Ruby stood in his way. A slightly more powerful backhand threw her away from his path.

"I am coming for you, Blakey girl! You hear me?! Tonight we'll be catchin' some pigs!" He laughed like a maniac as he ran away from the team room.

He really should tell them.


	67. Black and Gray

"Stand still... just one more minute..."

Braylon kept muttering while aiming at his target with the Omni-cannon. The target, Blake, sat with the monkey boy on an upper level of a café. Braylon's court had brought the final judgment: death by headsplosion for being a bandit. And what better way to deliver it than a sniper rifle that shoots explosive bullets? It will be the last thing she never saw coming.

"Mmpfh! Mmm!"

Braylon rolled his eyes, moved from the window and turned to the old man tied up on the couch.

"I know, I know, I'm being a dick. Please forgive me for tying you up like a salami and using your room for my assassination attempt. It's all for the best, really, considering that my target is a filthy mutant bandit."

"Mm...mmm!"

"Couldn't agree more. Now excuse me."

He returned to the window and looked through the scope. The bandit was speaking with golden monkey. She seemed rather engrossed in her ranting to notice anything suspicious.

Bandit leaned on the table, as did monkey boy. He pulled the trigger.

Well shove a baguette up your ass and call yourself French, he actually missed the shot. She moved just seconds before he could pull the trigger, causing him to hit a table instead. Kinda like in those comedy movies where the main character does something on accident and prevents his death. Oh, wait...

The two lovebirds quickly got up on their feet and shot their heads towards the ruined table. Braylon swore loudly, knowing that he lost the element of surprise. He grabbed his weapon and went towards the door.

"Mmm!"

"Later. I'm busy."

Now he understood why people don't hire assassins anymore. What's the purpose of spending money on such individuals when you can pull a surprise 9/11 on your target, killing them, their family and friends? Modern times are truly wonderful...

He and Blake played this game of Cat and Mouse since Friday. It didn't matter to him. He could live without sleep. She, on the other hand, not so much. It's just a matter of time before she finally stops any movement to get some rest. And then... then, he will ruin that pretty face for good.

* * *

"Blake!"

"Blake!"

"Blake! Where are you?!"

"Weiss, you are not helping!"

"Oh, you know who might help? The police. Oh, wait..."

"Ugh, Weiss..."

"It could be an idea!"

"Yeah, a bad one."

"Weiss, I think we should hear her side of the story before we make any judgments."

"If Braylon doesn't get to her first."

"If he does I will make him pay!"

"Did you see how he reacted?! I hardly doubt _you_ will be able to stop him."

"We'll see about that, princess."

"Even if we get to her first and listen to her story, I think you will realize that I am right."

"And I think Weiss's hair is wonderful today!"

"Ah! Penny! Where did you come from?!"

"Salutations! What are you up to-"

"Uh, could you move your flesh sticks, meatbag? Pretty ****ing please with **** on top?"

A robotic voice talked behind Penny. She and the trio turned their heads to see the culprit. It was a Claptrap painted to look like he was wearing a business suit.

"Claptrap?" Ruby squinted.

"For you, meatbag, I am MISTER Claptrap! See, this is why people are hiring me and my comr... brothers to do the work for you all! Because you are useless! And smell funny."

For some reason, Penny was excited to the point of being creepy. She poked the Claptrap, she asked him about his motherboard, she even tried to hug him.

"Stay the **** away from me, meatbag! Do I look like a ****ing meat hook?! Hm?! Can't you see I'm busy?!" He opened his mouth and took a Scroll out. "Now, excuse me!" He activated the Scroll and slowly rolled away. "What?! What do you mean that there is no such thing as "Skag urine"?! Do you at least put Nachos on top?!... Yeah, yeah. Put it on the account of the company..."

"Wasn't that Braylon's robot?" Yang asked her sister.

"I... honestly don't know anymore." Ruby sighed and shrugged. She noticed another Claptrap on the other side of the street cleaning a window.

"Anyway, we were looking for our friend Blake."

"Ah! You mean the Faunus girl?"

"Wait, how did you know that?"

"Uh, the cat ears?"

"What cat ears? She... wears a... bow..."

"She does like tuna a lot..."

"So, where is she?"

"She's... missing from Friday..."

Penny gasped. "That's terrible!"

"Worse." Yang added. "Our other "friend" who is not fully there, is hunting her down thinking that she is a bandit."

"Well, don't you worry friends! I won't rest until I find your teammates! And none of them shall get hurt!"

"Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny. But, uh, we are okay here... right girls?"

Yang and Weiss were gone.

* * *

"So, what should we do?"

"I don't know, Sun. I doubt the White Fang is behind these Dust robberies. Who could possibly need that much Dust?"

"But what if they did it? I mean, the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it. And not find them. Right?!"

"The problem is, I have no idea where that would be. Also, I am sure that Braylon would hunt me down if he found me."

"The nutcase you told me about?"

Blake sighed. "Yes, him." She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Blake, I promise that he won't hurt you as long as I am here."

She frowned and moved the hand away. "I'm not worried about that. Besides, it is my fault."

"Why would it be your fault?!"

"Because... I let my emotions get the better of me, and so the slip was inevitable. If I told them the same thing I told you, maybe he wouldn't wish to kill me. Instead, I ran away. Now he probably thinks I am a "bandit" that needs to die."

"You don't owe an explanation to a freak like that! If anything, you should be the one who hunts him down."

She sighed again. "Sun... it is more complicated than it looks. He is uncooperative, selfish and awful... but what if he is similar to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"We know he is hiding something. He never told us about that red monster until we were forced to fight. What if something else comes up? Something that we won't be able to defeat? Will he hide that until another person dies? He is not someone who wants to openly talk about his issues, you know?"

"Hey, why don't we do this one step at a time? First we find we find out about these robberies. Then we deal with that bastard."

Blake nodded solemnly.

"No as I tried to say. I heard back at the ship that there is a big shipment of Dust coming from Atlas."

"How huge?"

"Really huge. Schnee company."

"You sure?"

* * *

"Did I miss anything?"

"Not really. They are just sitting there with those crates."

"Cool. I stole you some fruit."

"Do you always break a law without a second thought?"

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?"

"..."

"Okay. Too soon."

FWOOOSH!

"Oh no."

The flying vehicle landed and out of it came a member of the White Fang."

"Is that them?"

"Yes. That's them."

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?"

"No. I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right."

"Hey! What's the holdup?!"

To make matters worse, the famous criminal Roman Torchwick was with the White Fang acting as a leader.

"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that."

Sun grabbed her by the hand. "Hey! Stop! Look there!"

Thanks to her cat ears, Blake was able to hear sounds that would otherwise be unheard to a human. Something metallic walking towards the terrorist group. Something...

WEE-BOOM! WEE-BOOM!

WEE-BOOM! WEE-BOOM!

A tall, humanoid robot appeared from behind few Dust crates. It was something she had never seen before.

"Is that..."

"I don't think that's from Atlas." Blake frowned. " _Is that another one of your friends, Braylon?_ "

* * *

"Oh golly!" Roman shouted. "Looks like an Atlas tin can came to the party! You know what to do, boys!"

Five terrorists took out their weapons and fired at the giant robot. Two of them ran towards him with some type of swords.

The android stood still like a statue, allowing the bullets to hit their target. Not one of them did any kind of damage to his body. Not even a scratch. One of the swordsmen was grabbed by his shoulders and tossed into a Dust crate with enough force to make bend the metallic object slightly. Needless to say that the Faunus in question died instantly. The other was no better, as the android grabbed his sword before he could even land a hit, and shot a crimson ray towards the threat, turning him into a charred, steaming skeleton in an instant. He then aimed his index finger at each of the shooters and fired a green bullet, melting their flesh and killing them.

"Uh, little help here? Anyone?"

As if heard, two Bullheads came flying over their heads with the intent of dropping more reinforcements. But before they could do it, a large group of tiny rockets shot out from the android's back and into the Bullheads, destroying them with extreme prejudice.

KA-BOOM!

"Alright. That was actually kinda cool..." Roman muttered. "I guess it's my time to-"

Android raised his right hand and turned his knuckles towards Roman. They brightened up and shot a barely visible beam that pulled the criminal closer to him. Something like a tractor beam.

"You are bothering me, bandit."

FTOOM!

He punched Roman so hard that he flew to the wall of a building, unconscious.

"Area clear."

Just then he turned his head to the rooftops...

* * *

"Ah-ha! Found you, kitty-cat!" Blake heard a familiar voice from behind her. "Don't move if you want to live."

"You."

"Sup, monkey boy? Did you like that prank? Hope you did, because it will be your last."

CLACK!

"You" he ordered Blake. "turn around. Slowly." She did.

"Braylon..."

"Fuck you. Filthy bandit. And a mutie at that. Not the one with the capital M, mind you. Because those are actually better than you."

"Hey, calm down now."

"Who asked you anything, monkey boy?"

"Name's Sun."

"Yeah, kinda realized you would get a stupid name like that. Yellow hair and all. Seriously, if I were you, I would sue my parents. Back to business. Hm?" He saw two Bullheads flying forward... and immediately shot down. He slowly moved slightly forward to see what could have destroyed those flying crap machines so easily, never moving his eyes away from the duo. When he saw the responsible one, he became pale like a sheet. Out of all things...

Blake and Sun looked at each other before seeing Braylon and the Android having a staring contest. The only difference was that Braylon was ready to jump away at any action while his opponent calmly stood there before turning around and ripping in two all Dust crates as if they were made of paper.

"Blake!" A new voice shouted.

"Ruby!"

Sun took the opportunity and charged straight for the Vault Hunter, kicking him with his legs and sending him on the ground. Braylon shot two bullets at Sun but both missed thanks to his kung-fu bullshit. At least the Vault Hunter got up.

"Stop fighting you two!" Blake, Ruby and the third girl shouted. They stopped only momentarily, but for different reasons. In Braylon's case, it was to see what the android was up to. He could see that giant remodeling his hands into two cannons which sucked Dust like a vacuum cleaner. What was he doing? Huh?

THWACK!

And this is why you don't let your guard down, kids. Ever.

* * *

Braylon was so engrossed with the android that monkey boy got a drop on him... for a second fucking time. I know, this is embarrassing. Now he was tied up with metallic chains, sitting on a wooden crate with a scowl on his face. Git gud.

While the Vault Hunter was growling like a dog at Blake, muttering "bandit" every few seconds, Weiss and Yang reached the group. The android escaped and those idiots talked about Blake?

"I fucking care!" He screamed suddenly, fighting against his chains. "She is a fucking bandit! A bandit! Purge the Mutant, Xeno and the Bandit!"

Another chit-chat later, Ruby cheered.

"Yay! Team RWBBY is back together!"

"Awesome. Hey, what are we going to do with him?" Sun pointed a thumb towards a rather pissed off Braylon.

"Suffer not a bandit to live!"

"Meh." Yang shrugged. "That's normal for him. He will deal with it."

Everyone turned their heads to see Braylon staring at Blake with a profound hatred in his eyes. If he could, he would probably tear her throat out with his teeth.

Fucking bandit.


	68. Worst Day Ever

**FINALLY! Finally I reached the REAL Volume 2! Oh Boy! And Volume 5 is out! Huzzah!**

 **EzioIsPIRATE:** **Hard-de-har. Be sure to say that pun to Sun Thing Wong. I have no idea how could Sunthing like that ever happen.**

* * *

 _"Dear brothers and sisters, dear listeners. So often, we priests sent by Him, we direct to you who believe messages and sometimes even invitations. You are often called from this place, or from other similar to this one where you listen and watch. No tonight the situation is a bit different. Tonight we priests are called. Tonight, in a somehow personal manner, God's voice and God's finger are pinted at us, at those whose duty is to testify the Lord and spread him through this world."_

 _"And by the prophet Joel, the call first goes to the priests. And it's not easy. Because often we are in a position where we are tormented about how to tell the Truth in a time where it doesn't want to be heard. How to talk about ture things, when our ear and our life turned to listen the pleasures of this world? How to be authentic, when today we are all in some wish to copy a trend or life in which we live?"_

 _Booom! Bang! Bang!_

 _"It's not easy. But we are called by God himself to talk, not be quiet. No matter how much it will cost us on this world. Not long ago one priest testified about how he was unable to have peace, to sleep three days and nights. Do you know why?"_

 _Bang! BANG!_

 _"Because he was tortured the whole time. Because the people he preached to said those truths which others refuse to spread. Because he brought out things that don't please the ear, but provoke the heart and call to change. He said: "I couldn't sleep because I thought about the possibility of going the easy way.", but my priest, you just chose the true path."_

 _BANG! BANG! RATATATA!_

 _"Tough is the speech we have to testify, because people's hearts are hardened. But we are called. And the prophet calls not only in the time he lived, seeing the situation, but ours as well. How much we distanced ourselves from the true message of God, that we should seek mercy for all of our kind. We need to live and preach about humbleness. Sue, meaning to send cries in the name of our kind. The same thing which Joel did, yes, in torture! He too didn't sleep at nights, remember the prophets, each of them who was chosen testifies about "why me, Lord?!". Because it's not easy, brothers and sisters, in a civilization where lies are the norm, to spread His word and love of His son."_

 _KA-BOOM! BANG! BANG! BANG!_

 _"But He said: I am the Truth!"_

 _CRASH!_

 _"Please, continue. I can wait."_

* * *

He honestly had no idea how everything started. For real this time.

Quick! Duck!

Phew! That pie was a close one.

But what really baffled him was the level of _childishness_ these people had. One would think that by seventeen you would be mature, or at least act like you are, and push some stupid children stuff away, right?

SPLAT!

Well go fuck yourself, I dare say. Because these brats had, get a load of this, a "food fight". Now I am no expert in such activities (mostly because one would chop their genitals off to get the food they were wasting in kilos as if it were mere oxygen) but isn't that the pinnacle of immaturity? Even the heiress who likes to be a stuck-up bitch joined without complaint. Him? He actually had enough brains to turn a table and hide behind it. It took great mental effort to not cry at the food that was wasted in some stupid game. Even greater to not hang them all by the nearest tree.

How the hell could it happen, thought Braylon. Everything was normal just _minutes_ ago and now there is chaos everywhere. At least in Pandorian bars you would get a warning, like a Psycho suddenly shouting "I am going to murder you to death!" or something. But _this_... this was pure insanity!

Maybe, maybe if we start from the beginning, we could finally solve this Gordian Knot.

It all happened approximately twenty minutes ago...

* * *

"Watch'ya doin'?"

"N-nothing... just going over the notes from the last semester..."

"Lame."

Weiss had to sit between Braylon and Blake. She acted as the only safety wall between the two. Not that she volunteered, mind you, but when she actually realized that, should the two sit near each other, Braylon might get the (POV relative) idea of strangling her Faunus teammate with his bare hands and be happy about it. For Weiss, Braylon was so barbaric and rude that he would actually dare to urinate on her grave should she die before him. Poor Weiss, you seriously think Blake would get a grave after he would be done with her? Man, if only he started his "work" with her, people would need to pick her up with a spoon. Not to mention that he would most likely fuck her soul...

Blake tried to act normal, but she could never shake off the hatred that was directed to her from one of her own teammates, who also happens to think of her as a mindless bandit that needs to be purged. Even with Weiss acting as a possible shield, that icy glare filled with hatred could be felt despite her not looking at him. Everyone else caught it too.

Yang frowned. "Any problem?"

"Yes." He replied. "It sits on your right."

"You still can't deal with it, can you?"

"She is a bandit." He stabbed his fork into a steak so violently that some of those sitting at the table winced. "That itself is reason enough for her to die."

"She is not part of the White Fang anymore." Weiss, surprisingly, defended Blake.

"How do you know? Just because she says it? Seriously? Besides" He stabbed the steak again. "once a bandit, always a bandit. You can be a scientist, you can be shopkeeper, you can even be a fucking plumber for all I care... but to me, you will always, _always_ be a bandit."

There was so much poison in his words that others wondered how he didn't spit that instead of saliva. The present members of team RWBBY felt uncomfortable in front of JNPR.

"No, wait, let's talk seriously now. Even if she is not a member of a _terrorist_ organization anymore, this definitely won't erease any criminal record she has."

Blake seemed offended. "I never-"

"But what the fuck do I know? Luckily I am not idiotic enough to notice she is a Faunus after so much time."

Weiss widened her eyes. "Wait, are you trying to say that you realized she was a Faunus sooner?"

"Yup."

"How?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fucking... seriously? The way she walks, her eyes, her twitching bow, her obsession with tuna... do I need to go on? I honestly don't know if you are blind or just that stupid."

"Just because we realized it after so long, it doesn't mean you have the right to insult us."

"Why not? If you fail to see such obvious hints, you kinda deserve whatever comes to you. It is the reason why people used to make whole plays about dumb kings and greedy motherfuckers. To make them see the error of their ways and to make them better. And then modern times happened. Sadly."

Blake sighed. "Braylon... I..."

"Don't talk to me, bandit. I have no reason to speak with a criminal."

"I see." She nodded and slowly got up. "Excuse me." She remained brave until she turned around and walked away from the table. Judging by her lowered head, everyone gussed she started crying. Key word is guessed.

He raised his head innocently. "What?"

"You are such a prick." Yang said as she got up and went after Blake.

"Fuck you too sweetie." He then turned and shouted. "And make sure to hug her so that people will have more proof for a stupid ship based on nothing but emotional friendly conversations!" She gave him the finger.

"Bitch." He muttered. "Anyone else has problems with me?"

Team JNPR frowned at him.

"Good." He returned to his food.

"How can you act like that towards your friend?" Jaune asked after an awkward silence.

"A bandit is no friend of mine."

"Are you trying to act tough in front of us?"

"Are you trying to make a strawman argument?"

"You are not without mistakes, you know?" Pyrrha defended her obvious crush.

"Heh. At least I don' hang skulls around the walls of my settlement because I think it's fun."

Everyone was perplexed. "Are you seriously suggesting she could do such a thing?! What is wrong with you?!"

He shrugged. "She might flay people alive when she is bored for all I know."

"... you do realize that's insane? And that you are paranoid?"

"Stalin lived so long _because_ he was paranoid. The less you know about people, the better."

"I dunno what you're talking about, but that's insane. There is no other way to put it."

"Glad to know your worthless opinion. Now go back to your three stooges over there and leave me alone."

"Hey, who are you to talk to our leader like that? He is trying to help!" Female Thor expressed her equally worthless opinion.

"Him? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He cocked his head back and roared with laughter. Some people from other tables turned around to see the scene. "Thank you! I really needed that! Hehe... he... helping me... pff! HAHAHA!"

Seeing that every attempt to convince him otherwise was useless, team JNPR dropped the subject and returned to their food. Ren had to physically restrain Nora from going berserk at the Vault Hunter in front of her who had balls large enough to have a stupidly smug grin plastered on his face. Five minutes later Yang and Blake returned to the table. The latter sniffed softly.

"Ah, I see that the bandit came for another dish. I'll be glad to serve it to her."

"Stop it." Weiss ordered. "Has she ever done something that hurt you in any way?"

"She is a bandit! And a mutant at that! The irony of life! Fighting for Faunus equality while not realizing that Faunus are just humans with fucked up DNA."

"Ignore him Blake." Yang tried to calm down her partner. "Some people are just like that. You can't change them."

"Never knew that using common sense is regarded as stupid on Remnant."

"You shut your mouth! You've done enough damage!"

"Don't push your luck blondie."

"You wanna go?!"

"With pleasure!"

Two hotheads got up and butted their heads, growling like dogs. Such moments are to be expected when two strong personalities clash.

"Never miss a good chance to shut up!"

"Well I will try to be nicer if you try to be smarter! But since you are a blonde..."

"You reek of alcohol!"

"Hey hey hey! Beer is not alcohol! Beer is liquid bread! True, I used to be sober once. Thank God I got cured. At least I have a reason to drink, unlike you!"

"You know, I am really trying to imagine you with a personality."

"You look like shit! Is that in style now?"

Yang gasped and her eyes turned red. "What did you say?!"

"I'm not the attention whore here, sweetie. Are you trying to show your tits to the world to solve your insecurities?! Man, if were your mother, I would leave the planet, not the continent!"

Oh snap! Critical hit!

Yang showed her teeth and her hair flashed.

"What's wrong?! Didn't get enough attention back home?! Seems like it, because anyone who told you to be yourself couldn't give you any worse advice!"

The conversation was so close to change from verbal to physical arguments that if Ruby hadn't come and tossed a giant binder on the table, all hell would broke loose. Yang, not wanting to be seen that way by her sister, immediately stepped down and sat at the table. She wouldn't fogive him for that offense though. Braylon returned to his seat too, if from different reasons.

Rwby coughed before starting her totally original monologue. "Sisters! Friends!... Weiss..."

"Hey!"

"Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream..."

"Good for you." Our loveable Vault Hunter murmured.

I'm gonna go ahead and skip the bullshit speech, going straight to the point. Ruby wanted some fun time with her team. Braylon included. To a viewer this might seem stupid, I know, but when you are fifteen, your brain kinda doesn't work properly. You know, puberty and hormones and all that shit. In Ruby's case, that brain must have been stuck in pony land ruled by rainbows for her entire time. She even went that far as to make an argument for why it should happen, saying something about the start of a second semester or some other unimportant crap. He kinda immediately stepped out of the conversation as soon as it started. For some reason, White got up and tried expressing her feelings only to be stopped by a pie to the face.

* * *

Yeah, you're right. I still don't understand shit. Sorry for wasting ten minutes of your precious time you will never get back.

Earth itself could split apart and devour the whole dining hall, sending it to the lowest pits of Hell, as far as Braylon was concerned. He needed to get out of there without a stain. If someone started some shit with him, there would be possibly fatal consequences.

He pushed students out of his way like a bull who discovered that the puny human in front of him tried to strip him of the privilege to have children. Heck, he even punched a moron who tried to slap him with a baguette. It seemed like he was the only sane man in the whole place. I... can't believe I just said that.

Just as he was about to reach salvation, a cherry pie hit him straight in the face. I swear that all the students from a radius of fifteen meters stopped whatever they were doing and slowly turned their heads towards him.

"Stupid children." He muttered loudly. "Stupid children. All of you." Not losing his pride and self-respect, Braylon wiped clean his face and walked out of the canteen, which seemed to go unnoticed by everyone else as they immediately restarted their food-wasting orgy. So team JNPR magically brought ALL OF THE TABLES to make a fort, right? And Nora, the psycho of the group, started singing like a classic megalomaniac. And then... it happened.

BLAM!

A loud explosion echoed through the place as the table fort and its residents were suddenly covered in red... tomato juice? Most took it as a hint to get the fuck out of that place and did without questioning anything.

Of course, who could be so insane to bring a makeshift mini-howitzer held together by duct tape, plot convenience and prayers other than Braylon? Yes, yes, he would never do such childish shit, but there was some respect that needed to be protected, damn it! With the battle hymn of the republic provided by the USA of course!

For him, one shot wasn't enough to cleanse all suspects, so he shoved a dozen tomato juice cans into the artillery weapon and fired again, painting the whole place red. At some point in time JNPR and girls from RWBBY stopped fighting and came close to each other, ubenknownst to Braylon who loaded his weapon designed to split asses in half better than Moses split the Red Sea. Through the scope he found his target, filthy bandit, who still owed him her life, and fired. He never expected for her to be so quickly replaced by a certain dominatrix disciplinarian who could kill poeople with a glare and the coffe-obsessed headmaster of Beacon Academy.

SPLORCH!

The result was obvious. Instead of hitting Blake, he hit the two most important people in the faculty, painting them completely in red. Ozpin kept his cool as he cleaned his glasses, but Glynda... oh _boy_.  
He couldn't make out what she was talking about but... maybe it's best left unknown. Good thing he had a cover-

"Mister Braylon?" Sip. "Please come out."

Well, fuck.

* * *

"This is all your fault, Braylon."

"Excuse me, blondie, but methinks I'm not the one who started it!"

"Was it really necessary to do _that_?! Now we have a detention and a _warning_!"

"Serves you right for playing with food. There are starving people who would eat all of that you wasted, you know?"

Team RWBBY sat at the table in the library. Ruby prepared some kind of stupid board game that he wasn't interested in so he got up and went behind a bookshelf.

"Prick."

"Now, now, Yang. I'm sure he will like this game." Ruby chirped happily. "It will be our first awesome team funtime!"

"Where are you going with that book?" Blake asked Braylon who was going away with a large book in his hands.

"We are out of toilet paper."

The girls immediately tackled him on the ground.

"Braylon!" Weiss screeched. "You can't use a book for toilet paper!"

"And yet money is a good substitute!" He replied while trying to worm his way out of the RWBBY pile. "Get off me!"

Funnily enough, he remembered the last time he was in a library. He wouldn't be held responsible if this one became a massive torch too.

"Hello there!"

Braylon groaned as the girls got up.

"Hey Sun." Ruby waved her hand.

"Ruby, Blake, Yang... Ice Queen."

"Why is everyone calling me that?"

"Gee, I wonder why." Braylon cleaned the dust from his uniform and turned to Sun. "Sup monkey boy. Although you look like you are two genes away from becoming a gorilla."

Sun frowned. "You again."

"Man, too many freaks, not enough circuses." He chuckled, moving his head towards the bluenette. "And looks like Stalin missed this one. Hashtag make gulag great again."

"Uh... nice to meet you too?"

"Ugh, forget it."

"Hey, cheer up! Laughs are viral!"

"Yeah, so it's gonorhea."

"Forget him, Neptune. Lets talk with the ladies." He turned to the girls. "Right. I never got the chance to introduce my friend."

"Uh, aren't libraries for reading?"

"Thank you!"

"Shut up, don't be a nerd."

Neptune made a sound that closely resembled a horse neighing. "Intellectual, okay? Thank you. I'm Neptune."

"Where are you from?"

"Haven." Neptune said as he approached Weiss. "I don't believe I got your name, Snow Angel."

"Uh, I'm Weiss."

Braylon was amused seeing Jaune raging. Whatever they were going to talk about, he didn't care, for he decided to go out of the library.

* * *

Blake spent her time sitting on her bed and thinking about the most recent events that happened with the White Fang. Who sent that robot? Did it have a name? Something told her that Braylon would know about it as he opened the door and quietly went for the workbench without even bothering to say hi to her. He sat down and placed the Shield on the table.

"What are you doing?"

Her question was left unanswered. She frowned.

"Don't ignore me."

"I don't have to talk to a bandit."

This again?

"Why you keep insisting on calling me a bandit? I told you I left the White Fang."

"Left it or not, you are a bandit to me. You shouldn't even be alive now, let alone in the same room with me."

"If you think I've hurt somebody while I was its member, you are wrong. That's precisely the reason why I left."

"Doesn't change the fact that you are a terrorist. Just like them."

"White Fang wasn't always a group of terrorists. Back then, it used to be a peaceful organization that fought for Faunus rights."

"Rights that shouldn't even exist since the Faunus are humans with animal parts."

She sighed. "Why you keep insisiting that we are the same as humans?"

"Because that's what you are. You posess the same traits as humans. That makes you human. I really don't understand where is the problem. It sounds so stupid to set you two apart as different races. And that comes from a guy who used to live in a reality where people were judged by the skin color."

"I don't understand. How are such topics so _basic_ to you?"

"Wait till you become a man so that someone may accuse you of being "white cis male scum"."

"Don't you have such social issues in your reality?"

"Issues like that are long solved. We have more important ones. Like, for example, our slow death and extinction."

She widened her eyes in shock. "What do you mean?"

"No matter how many planets we colonize or what new technology we develop, we are going towards our extinction. War is just one catalyst in a big pile of them. Another one is _fucking_ bandits. Some planets are so awful that bandits like you shoot at everything that moves for fun and profit. And there is nothing that can stop them. Well, almost nothing." She saw him smile. She also got goosebumps. "If you ask me, I would kill you the second I learned you were a bandit. You really are no different than them."

"Why are you blaming me for the crimes I didn't even take part of? Just because I was an ex member?"

"If you cooperate with the the sinner so that he could do a sinful act, you share his sin."

"There is no such thing as sin."

"We shall see that after we die. Ah, human pride, many thought the same way you do. I doubt they like the place where are they now."

"And where are they now?"

"Mostly dead. Physically. Some things are best left unknown. Anyway, you are still a bandit."

"Why are you trying to alienate everyone around you?"

"Truth hurts most of the times. It is why people hear what they want to hear. When you tell them how things really are, they would rather kill you than admit you are right."

"Don't you feel any kind of empathy for others in need?"

"Most are not worth it."

"But... are you looking for an advice, or you just need to vent when you talk like that?"

"Neither. You give me a question. I answer."

"Do you actually believe most of the things you say?"

"Of course I do. If I didn't I would be like Ruby. Which basically translates to hoping that the first asshole you come across will kill you instantly."

"Who... was that robot back there?" Asked Blake after a long silence.

"Someone I wish I never have to see again but I know I will."

"So you _do_ know him?"

"Yes. Unfortunately."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why should I? What would you gain from it?"

"Remember what happened with Cardin?"

"Yes. Please forget that."

"No. I won't forget that. I doubt anyone could forget that."

"Well, it's their problem then, ain't it?"

"You could at least show some gratitude."

"But I _am_ showing my gratitude."

"Sure you do. Is it the reason why you try your best to alienate us?"

"Alright." He turned around. "First stop with this alienate bullshit. Second, I never wanted... this!" He raised the index finger and moved it in a circle. "I don't need to babysit four naive little girls with their bullshit stories about the world! I was out there, you know?! I know how the world works, alright?! I even felt it on my skin! So when you come to me with your bullshit stories like "we are here to make the world better" or "a group of terrorists is misguided" my gears are seriously fucking grinding. What the fuck do you know about the world? Hm?! Oh, you were in a terrorist clan?! I used to assasinate people for a living on a daily basis, knowing that if I didn't kill them, they wouldn't stop hurting others until they die!"

"Fucking look at me! I am barely functioning! If it weren't for this." He raised his left hand. "I would be spending the rest of my life in a mental hospital completely unable to say my own name! That kind of shit leaves a mark on your body, mind and soul that you will carry to the afterlife where you will be reminded of them every single day of your existence! Forever! And the biggest problem is that it's my own fault! So would you kindly fuck off and leave me alone?!"

"If your claims are true, then you should seek help! We could help you! A doctor could help you!"

He waved his hand dismissively and snorted. "Right. Forget it."

Just then the door opened.

"Ugh, shouldn't ever let him play!"

"You are just mad because the new guy beat you. None of this would have happened if you attacked when I told you."

"Stop." Weiss ordered to Blake who was about to leave. "Lately you've been quiet, antisocial and moody."

"Um, have you ever met Blake?"

"Which I get is kind of your "thing", but you've been doing it mre than usual. Which, quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to me, to all of us-"

"Leave me out of this!" Braylon raised his hand.

"-that you would let us know if something was wrong. So, Blake Belladonna, what is wrong?"

"I just... I don't understand how everyone can be so calm... except for him."

"You are still thinking about Torchwick?"

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something is happening and no one is doing anything about it!"

"Ozpin told us not to worry. I'm sure the Huntsmen could handle it."

"Not when they have to protect the walls from another disaster like that! They don't know the White Fang like I do!"

"We can always shoot them on sight..." Braylon shrugged. "I mean, they are bandits."

"Quiet you. We are _not_ going to kill people. So, between blowing up night clubs, stopping thieves, infighting for freedom, I'm sure that you think we shoudl go out and stop the criminals-"

"Bandits."

"-but let me once again be the voice of reason."

"Since when you were ever the voice of reason?"

"Stop interrupting me, Braylon. We're students! We are not ready to handle this sort of situation."

"Well yeah but we are ready."

"We are not ready!"

"And we may never _be_ ready! Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for the graduation day!"

"Why everyone keeps forgetting about me?" Braylon muttered to himself.

"Somewhere, out there, they are planning their next move and none of us knows what it is, but it's coming, whether we are ready or not!"

Braylon rubbed his temples. This was really infuriating.

"We are in this together!"

"Um, objection!" He shouted.

"So, let's hatch a plan!"

"Yeah!"

"Ah! I left my board game in the library!"

"We're doomed!"

"I'll be right back!"

Thanks to his enhanced senses, Braylon could hear Ruby speaking to someone. He sneaked to the door and peeked out. She was talking to some students he never saw before. And for some reason, it made him frown. He could feel the unknown trio's evilness emanating from them.

Better keep an eye on them. You never know.


	69. Zero Survivability

**Since I have no idea how to celebrate 80 000+ views, and because I missed the chance to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of this story, I decided to write a chapter longer than usual. To be precise, a 6684 words chapter. Hope you like it.**

 **As always feedback is appreciated.**

* * *

"I thought that class would never end."

"Alright, guys. Today's the day! The investigation begins!"

Braylon grumbled silently while working at his workbench. He couldn't believe how they "convinced" him to spend money on pointless new clothes and calling them "uniform". He had to be dragged to,like, ALL of the shops in Vale because each had different opinions on what and how should he wear it, instead of, you know, asking _him_? Ugh, women and their fashion instincts.

So after wasting hours that he will never get back, Braylon finally yielded and bought some clothes. A brown trench coat with short sleeves (forced the tailor to make a blue Vault symbol on the back of the coat) he decided to never zip it up so that everyone could see a blue shirt, a brown belt with pockets ( so that he could stash ammo and place both the Shield and the mysterious souvenir he got from the latest monstrosity) and grey jeans. Oh, did I mention a pair of black boots?

They even forced him to, *sigh*, give it a name. He went for "Crusader". What was the point of buying an uniform if he was gonna wear it only for this one day? Not only that, he had to buy another pair of clothes to have as a "regular" uniform. Why was everyone so butthurt about fashion on this planet, he had no idea. As long as he had something, anything, to wear, it would be fine. All he would really need was a pair of pants, a simple shirt, socks and shoes. What else did he need?!

Ruby coughed into her fist. "I said, the investigation... _begins._ "

"Okay, fine. Just give me a minute for Christ's sake. I am working on something important here." He only had to move few wires, add some bolts... "And done!" He got up, proud of his new invention, The Bumblebee* Shield, an upgraded and recolored version of The Bee. He painted it in yellow and black stripes, as the name suggested. Finally a Shield worthy of that name! Now he wanted to hear what the girls were up to.

"Everyone remember their roles?"

"You and I will head to the CCT to check the Schnee records about any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Since I am a member of the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

"The White Fang's regular faction meeting include handling orders and recruiting new members. If I could get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything about what goes on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."

"Right. And Braylon..." Ruby trailed off. "Uh, where did he go?"

* * *

Okay, to be fair, he didn't listen.

When the whole team started making plans, he was already laying his head on the workbench. Ruby said something to him that he didn't bother to listen nor did he care. He just wanted some sleep. Besides, no plan survives contact with the enemy, so he improvised... by going to the typical shady part of town. Each has them and Vale was no exception. Usually some important people in those places knew everything that happened in said town. Who took a shit and when, who stole something, things like that. Naturally, he had no contacts that he could politely ask about such touchy topics, so he had to take the role of a dentist for about several hours until he got any clues that could help.

And there it was. A bar, a disco, whatever. The owner likes to sell information, or so he heard. Because he was nice and because he wanted a bit of a discount on that delicious info, he slammed his foot against the door and opened it with force.

Dear... **God.**

( **AN:** Play the main theme of the game Party Hard.)

The place was a total mess. There were no clients to begin with, just clones wearing the same outfits, two girls, the owner and... is that Pedobear up there? Hm... maybe it's one of his equally perverted cousins. This one had a fetish for DJs.

He calmly walked to the counter, not giving a damn about all the eyes that turned to stare him. There was a time when he would rather shrink down to a bacteria rather than be at the center of attention. That was long ago.

He sat quietly and slowly raised a hand. "Give me the best thing you have."

Naturally, the owner, a wannabe tough guy who, I bet, would let out the most girlish scream a man could create if he ever saw a Crabworm, not to mention a possible virgin with no chance whatsoever to get laid as long as he has that haircut, was all like "Aren't you a little to young to drink?"

Braylon smiled. "Hey, remember when I asked you for your opinion? Yeah, me neither."

The owner grumbled and turned around.

"So, what are you? Some kind of a Huntsman?"

Some nearby guards chuckled.

"I am a nightmare for shady sons of bitches like you."

At that insult, the owner immediately turned around with a scowl on his face. He placed both hands on the counter. "Well, well, well. We have the confident sort right here." He said in a low tone. "You know you can get hurt here? Right? Nobody would hear you scream when-"

"Oh, get off your fucking horse, discount Scarface. Killed more people before your mother shot you out of her cunt. I could turn this place upside-down if I want to, but I didn't come here to kill anyone, even though I am rethinking about that idea..." His smile died. "I need info."

"And what makes you think that you are in the right place?"

Braylon rolled his eyes. "Come on, this place couldn't scream "I'm a mafioso, notice me senpai" more than it does now with these bandits you hired and those two over there..."

Just as he said that, the two girls approached him. One placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to warn him. He instinctively turned around, grabbed the offender by the back of the head and smashed it to the counter full force.

He let out an explosive sigh.

"Oh well... looks like I need to use better arguments to convince you all..."

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

* * *

"Come on my friend is right here!"

"Whoa... and where exactly is... Yang?"

Yang couldn't respond at the moment for her brain stopped working. Coming towards her was one badly beaten up Junior. The right eye was completely black, his hair a mess and his clothes looked like someone placed them in a waste shredder. Instead of walking normally, Junior shambled like a zombie with one leg, dragging the other behind him. When he saw Yang, his lips parted. Several teeth were missing.

"That... bully... didn't like me meshing with him..." He groaned weakly as he reached the blonde Huntress. He then placed a hand on her shoulder. "But he wash... the one who... looked dumb, y'know? Hehe... joke'sh on him..." Junior slowly shambled past the huntsmen-in-training and shambled aimlessly away from them. "Hehe... my tie wash darn tashty... tehehe..."

Yang and Neptune looked at each other, shrugged and went for the door. They fell off as soon as she pushed them slightly. But it was just the start.

When they entered, they saw the surroundings that resembled something similar to when a tornado hits a house. Tables turned, mooks lying everywhere and in awkward positions (ouch), counter broken in two, lights barely working, the DJ slumped in a fetal position on the dance floor as his hands were squeezing his crotch, glass bottles everywhere... in short, a total mess. At least the janitor would get a decent pay for this.

"...So what do we do?" Winced Neptune as he heard a mook crawling towards them with his arms and legs broken.

Yang sighed explosively, holding the Scroll in her hand. It looked like they had to make a change of plans. And she had a hunch that told her who was responsible for making the words "vandalism" and "rave party" synonyms.

* * *

According to Junior, there should be a White Fang base not far away from his bar. Braylon had to admit, they did look smarter than he thought. The five-story building seemed in enough bad shape to not attract attention. There was also a garage on the left. It was large enough to store small trucks.

Speaking of vehicles, a white van just arrived at the base. The two guards that stood there waved something at the driver. Then one of them opened the garage, let the van in and closed it. The other one went inside the building. He could see all of that through the scope of his Omni-cannon as he hid behind a wall in a dark alley. He honestly hoped the information was correct, otherwise Junior could say goodbye to his life.

( **AN:** Play "Crystals" by M.O.O.N.)

PEW!

The guard's head exploded in a shower of gore almost instantly. Braylon got up and ran towards the entrance, quickly switching his sniper rifle for Bullpup and Mining Laser. As he came closer, he could hear music coming from one of the upper stories. Judging by how loud it was, he doubted they would hear him.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Who is it?!"

BLAM!

Braylon aimed Bullpup at the door and fired. Thanks to the point blank range, the shot ripped a hole in the door and shoved a small fortune of lead into the mook. He kicked the door away with a leg just as three more guys (one girl) went to the hallway. He blasted them with few shots of his Mining Laser, turning them into melted Swiss cheese.

Stashing the weapons away, he pressed his back against a wall and slowly stepped towards a door. He could hear a man and a girl flirting. Suddenly the leg repeated its trick, taking the lovebirds by surprise. The girl died by a Sawblade before she could react while he was impaled with the Sabre as Braylon dived in his direction.

FLUSH!

Just then someone opened the door of the bathroom. Braylon picked a fucking meat cleaver that the girl had as a weapon and tossed it straight to the intruder. It stuck itself between their eyes, cracking the skull opened like a fruit.

SZOCK!

Picking the cleaver up, he went upstairs. A girl came in the opposite direction. He sliced her stomach open and while she was busy holding her intestines, he shoved the cleaver into her neck. Blood sprayed on the walls like crazy.

For some reason, he heard a voice whispering quietly in his ear. He couldn't understand anything of it. As he reached the second level, he saw a scene straight out of some horror movie.

He saw several mooks, both men and women, acting as if possessed. Some held their heads while screaming voicelessly, some rolled on the floor, some even banged their heads to the nearby wall, some laughed with eyes the size of saucers, one or two decided to end their life by stabbing/shooting themselves with their weapon.

It creeped the fuck out of him.

He decided to end their lives with a quick shot to the head with his trusty revolver.

There was a door to the right. He materialized the Damned Cowboy, opened and made quick work of every terrorist he saw. He killed twenty-five Faunus until now.

As the area was clear, Braylon was free to go upstairs. He quickly jumped behind a cover as he saw a small squad aiming their guns towards him, as if expecting his appearance. It must have been all the madness that happened downstairs.

Nothing says "fuck off" as a powerful weapon. Thankfully, Braylon shares my opinion. He materialized his Nukem, waited for the perfect opportunity and fired a rocket.

KA-BOOM!

... Aaand his dumbass forgot about collateral damage again. Would you believe me if I told you that a thick white fog appeared because he fucking wrecked the wall, the floor and the ceiling of the level? And when I mean wrecked, I mean wrecked. The whole damn building shook! And that probably alerted half of Vale.

But hey! At least he got rid of those bandits, right?

Coughing, Braylon tried to find the stairs. Yeah, too bad one couldn't see shit. He heard people yelling, so he took Boreas, set it to grenade launcher mode, and fired several shots at random. The decision immediately met regret as he heard slight a loud creak.

The building was about to fall.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" He yelled as he ran downstairs.

CREEE-

As he ran out and on the street, he noticed a shadow growing behind him. So he came up with the idea to hide in the garage. He had to rip a door with his Sabre to get in.

CRAAAAASH!

That must have woken up half of the continent. Lucky that he was shielded so the noise didn't hurt. A lot.

So much for finding information...

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

That wasn't necessary, he confessed to himself. Using explosives in a closed environment would always lead to this. God only knows how many bandits died...

Awesome.

So now what was left was the van. He searched it for clues, hoping that his arsonist tendencies wouldn't bite him in the ass. There was a piece of paper on which was written where the next White Fang gathering would be. It was a bit far from his current position, so he had to use the van to reach it.

If he could pass through all that rubble, that is.

* * *

"This is it."

"You sure? You know, I'm just gonna take your word for it."

Blake was positive that everything would go okay. She just hoped that Braylon wouldn't be a wild card. As much as unlikable as he was, he could be a potential ally as well as a potential disaster.

"I don't get it. If you believe what you're doing is right, then why hide behind a mask?"

"The mask is a symbol. Humanity wanted to make a monster of us. So we chose to wear the same masks as the Grimm."

"...That's... kinda dark."

"So is the guy who started it."

"Always sunshine and rainbows with you."

As much as she grew accustomed to seeing it all, Blake still couldn't shake the feeling of awe when she saw how many Faunus had gathered. She knew that what it took to capture more fish in the net was a speech to get their attention. It always was like that.

 _CRAAAAASH!_

"What was that?!"

"What's goin' on?!"

"An earthquake?!"

"Blake..." Sun whispered as her lips twisted into a scowl. "Why do I get the feeling that one of your friends did something that they weren't supposed to do?"

Urgh, she really wanted to strangle Braylon. If only the fool was here... What did he do this time?!

"May I get your attention please!" A voice all to familiar to Blake spoke up. "Calm down! There is nothing to fear!"

"What's a human doing here?!"

"I'm glad you asked, dearie. You know, I'll be the first to admit it. Humans are the worst, you know? They lie, they cheat, they steal. I mean, horrible, right? So I understand your frustration, your anger, your desire for revenge. But allow me to tell you that you and I all have a common enemy... The ones in control. The people who allow this to happen. They are pulling the strings around here, you know? Government, military, even schools. They are all to blame for your rotten life. And they are all pests that need to be dealt with. Fortunately, I'm the best when it comes to... solving such problems. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Atlas's latest toy created from your tax money. I present to you the solution to our problems. I present... the Atlesian Paladin!"

Blake was shocked. Where did Roman get a weapon like that?

"That's a big robot, Blake."

"We should get out of here."

However, the cheers died not long after they started as people started pondering about a new noise that they heard. Roman frowned.

"What? What is it now?" He groaned.

BOOM!

The cigar on Roman's lips fell down as he saw what caused the explosion that tore a hole in the building.

"Uh-oh. Neo, looks like it's time to get out of here as soon as possible..."

"And that's..." Sun's jaw dropped. "That's an even bigger robot..."

WEE-BOOM!

WEE-BOOM!

The Atlesian Knight prototype activated and crashed through the wall in a desperate attempt to escape. The White Fang members who were left behind started attacking the new arrival.

"What do we do?!" Sun yelled. "We need to chase Roman down!"

Blake grit her teeth. If she chased after Roman, all brothers and sisters that were here would probably get slaughtered by that machine. But if she stayed here... she saw what this... thing... was capable of. She could die too.

And it would be a pointless death.

"We need to reach Roman! Move it!"

* * *

His PDA started beeping.

"Everyone! If you can hear me, we need back- AAAAH!"

Braylon groaned.

"Fucking kids!" Now he knew why he should never stay far away from them. Not only Ozpin would most likely punish him for not following his rules for yours truly, but he would also charge his ass for the responsibility should one of them die! And that was a problem that he wanted no part in!

"Fuck!" He cursed once more as he stepped on that pedal.

"It's a robot... really big!"

His eyes widened.

Fuck that.

SCREEEEE!

No way. No way he was gonna sell his skin to that fucking android! That thing was-

"That Torchwick guy did it! He might control that thing or something!"

Torchwick is controlling him?

That made him stop and think. Was it really the same robot? Probably not. He could only be manipulated like a puppet on a string by that nutcase of a person... but that was back when the console was still in one piece. He wasn't even supposed to wake up.

He didn't like this theme that was going on. First AGMO, now him... if the nutcase shows up... he will go ape.

Stepping on the pedal once more, he listened further to the call for help.

"It's something made from Atlas! Really fast! He used it to ran away from another robot that showed up!"

 _Another_ robot? Could it be him?

Damn it! First things first, he needed to solve the Torchwick problem once and for all! Then... then he could deal with everything else.

"Fuck you, Ozpin!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Whoa!"

SCREE!

 _This_ much was needed for the van to hit the massive robot that appeared. It followed after Blake and her boy-toy, jumping like it was nobody's business, thus forcing Newton to breakdance in his grave, straight on the highway. How was he supposed to reach them?!

An idea came just then. If he couldn't reach it, he could make it explode! Brilliant!

Quickly, Braylon got out of the van, took the Nukem, and fired straight into the highway.

KA-BLAM!

The highway erupted in a flaming ball of smoke, debris and awesomeness, as the giant robot fell down with an echoing thud. Several cars had fallen as well. Unfortunately, the damage caused a portion of the highway to be unstable, causing its destruction and thus sending even more lives in danger.

The Vault Hunter went into the van and resumed his driving, arriving at the place where it fell. He was too late, however, as the girls were already busy with tearing it up piece by piece. All the fighting ceased once the van stopped and Braylon showed his face on the battlefield. RWBBY's quartet used the chance to regroup.

"Did you destroy the bridge by chance?" Weiss asked him.

"Nope." He replied as he jogged up to them.

"Torchwick's in that thing." Blake informed him.

"Really? That guy again?" He groaned. "Well, at least it isn't-"

SCREEEK!

Braylon slowly turned his head to the robot controlled by Roman to see a metallic hand sticking out of the abdomen. Blake and Weiss noticed his right leg making a step back. As their eyes went up, they noticed his usual look was replaced with clenched teeth, narrowed eyes and beads of sweat.

Roman's toy was lifted up and ripped in two-part horizontally. The thing behind it literally tore it in half with bare hands.

"Hello, Vault Hunter."

Atlas' most modern warfare device was just destroyed in front of a bunch of teenagers. And with such easiness that it felt insulting. Just like it felt insulting seeing the parts tossed away like garbage.

"Well." Braylon said without hesitation. "There is no need to run now."

WEE-BOOM! WEE-BOOM!

"I gave you my word that I would come, Vault Hunter."

WEE-BOOM! WEE-BOOM!

The android made two more steps before standing firm like a statue.

"Say, do you parents have some kind of savings?" The girls turned their heads to him. "Just asking. Because you will need it for a coffin."

"Hey where is Torch-Whoa!"

Braylon turned his head to the left to see monkey boy and his blue-haired pal.

"Neptune! It's him!"

"The robot you told me about?"

"Yes!"

"Oh... it's... big..."

Ruby stood in front of Braylon and aimed her scythe-rifle at the android.

"Who are you and what do you want?!"

"My creator baptized me as 'Vaultbuster', designation: Odatron. However, the term is incorrect. I am not invented as a solution to the Vault, but Vault Hunters."

"And?"

"I recently acquired self-awareness, but I am unable to deinstall my function; to kill Braylon Monocriffe."

"Why?!"

"He is a Vault Hunter. A threat to my creator. As such, he needs to be eliminated."

"And who is your creator?"

"The same person who invented AGMO." Braylon replied behind her. The girls gasped at the realization. "Is it just me, or is there a theme going on?"

"I was not sent by my creator. I was unable to detect his Personal Database Assistant anywhere on this planet. Hypothesis: my creator is hiding his signal."

"He has the same device as you?" Blake turned to Braylon.

"He is one of the inventors."

"B-but then how...?"

"Father gave it to me. And yes, Odatron can track me down by using my own PDA. He always knows about my whereabouts and actions."

"Someone's a creep..." Yang cringed.

"I was specifically designed to deal with any, and all, types of Vault Hunters, with modifications, features and accessories to deal with five million scenarios. I can raise that number should the situation require me to do it."

"In short, the mother of all Swiss army knives." They looked at him. He sighed. "PDA 2.0. Now in robotic flavor."

"T-that robot-"

"Android."

" _Android..._ " Weiss gulped. "Is same as your device?"

"Hmph! You wish."

"The Vault Hunter is correct. The basis for my creation was the PDA project, along with several improvements."

"S... still." Ruby gripped Crescent Rose tightly. "I won't let you hurt him."

"Ruby, Odatron was built by a psychotic egghead. There is no way you can-"

"I don't care! He is a bad guy, right?! Then he must be defeated before he hurts anyone!"

"Step aside, civilian." Odatron warned. "My target is the Vault Hunter."

"Civilian?!" Weiss roared. "Now that is an insult I won't take lightly!"

"You pose no threat to me, civilian. The Vault Hunters are a bigger threat to me than 'Huntsmen' will ever be."

"What?!"

"Careful Ice Queen, you might get an aneurysm."

"This planet simply has no technology that can harm or impede me in any way, shape or form. It is far too underdeveloped to even be considered a new scenario. Even with the concepts like 'Aura' and 'Semblance', the probability of you being a threat is lower than 0.005%."

"That's it, now you earned a beating!" Before anyone could warn her, Yang shot herself towards Odatron. And in less than a minute, her head was smashed into the concrete below with enough force to make a tiny crater. To a sharp eye, how it happened was obvious.

Odatron raised his right hand and cocked it back while at the same time opening a hole where the elbow should be. Then, fire erupted from the hole which propelled the hand forward as if it were a rocket. With enough power to stop a speeding train, the metallic palm smacked itself right into Yang's face, twisting slightly downward, and smashing her to the ground.

"Yang!" Blake cried out.

"No!" Ruby held her. "Let her! Her Semblance allows her to-"

Braylon clasped a hand to her mouth, surprising her.

"Everyone! Don't talk and use your Semblances, he can-"

ZAP!

A large laser beam knocked him away from the red reaper.

Odatron lowered his head as he heard a roar of pure rage coming upwards. A fist struck him in the head, sending him through a concrete column.

"Yay! Go sis!" Yang turned around and sent a thumbs up at Ruby. She then saw her younger sister's face twisting before she felt two powerful slaps smacking at each side of her head followed by something smashing against her back. She crashed through several lines of columns.

"YANG!"

At the horror of everyone present, Odatron returned to his original position as if he was never attacked at all.

"Now then." Odatron spoke up. "Step aside, civilians."

Good thing he had that fucking Shield. Otherwise he would have a huge hole instead of a chest. And that would hurt.

He heard everything though. The girls had it worse than him. Aura may block injuries, but the pain still remains. He doubted Yang was conscious after that attack.

"I am so dead."

It wasn't a subjective statement. It was fact. Odatron was going to kill him and nothing could stop it. But it doesn't mean that he would go out without a fight. Yes, even in a hopeless situation, Braylon was going to sell his skin at a high price. Heh, too bad that in this case that Android could afford it.

Getting up, he saw others going into action. The first one was Ruby, who used her Semblance despite him warning her, to try some high-speed techniques like slicing and shooting while zipping here and there.

Odatron had a solution for that too.

Seeing that no bullet could harm him, the android waited for the perfect opportunity to grab Ruby by the throat while she still used her Semblance. He simply crouched and, in a blink of an eye, he was already few meters away from his original position with a shocked Ruby in his hands. Braylon knew what he was doing when he saw a tiny white light replacing the signature red visor for a moment.

Fuck.

Large ice shards were launched from behind. They were shattered of course, but it proved enough to allow Ruby to escape. Odatron turned around and saw the heiress pointing her signature toothpick at him. Ruby came near Weiss, crouched and took aim. The goal was to use the White Rose technique, so they shot some bullets enhanced with ice at the target. Odatron dodged by seemingly teleporting to the right. If one looked better, they would notice that he left a trail of metallic petals behind.

Yep. That was his thing. Need I to say more?

At least they managed to escape his sonic cannon shot. Powerful enough to form a crater in the concrete. But then Weiss fucked it up when she decided to do a mid-air bombardment with some kind o blue spheres coming out of a glyph or some shit. Odatron used Ruby's semblance to turn himself into a bunch of metallic petals, which split into four parts and swiftly went behind Weiss. Once his form was built up, he fired a sonic blast at point blank range, tossing Weiss in a pile of debris and burying her there.

The same dirty trick was used to reach Ruby who was stunned by his sudden appearance. A quick sonic blast sent her crashing against a column.

Monkey boy, Blake and Blue gathered together to attack like a single unit. Odatron fired a sonic blast at Blake, who escaped the attack thanks to her semblance. Next came Sun who made copies of himself which would tackle the android if he didn't raise his hands in front of himself. Neptune used his trident (ugh) with the intent of stabbing Odatron. The latter swiftly grabbed said trident with one hand. Neptune smirked as Odatron received electricity through his weapon. Electricity that the android turned into Nova explosion.

That was rather painful to watch. Braylon knew that he didn't even try defeating them. They sorta fell on his lap, so to speak. Every strategy they tried, he would use it against them. He was just that adaptive. Braylon had no choice but to run, although he knew that it would be pointless.

So he ran as fast as he could into the van, stepped on the pedal and drove away.

* * *

This was a nightmare. There was no other way he could describe it. He was so screwed, he was beyond screwed. He drove on a highway with the Android following him thanks to his feet-jetpacks Iron Man style. Had Braylon not glanced in the mirror and saw the android pointing his finger at the van, he would have died, for Odatron shot a green laser from it.

POEW!

The van moved to the left and the beam hit another target, making it explode an kill its driver.

Odatron moved in front of the van and shot several tiny rockets from his back.

"Shit!" Braylon cursed as he had approximately thirty seconds to improvise. He had no choice but to drive the van out of the highway and fall down on the road below.

BOOM!

He cursed once again when the van fell with all its weight on the hard concrete. But it was still able to move forward, so it was all fine.

Oh, he was he kidding...

He was fucked.

Odatron appeared once again in front of him. Two metallic boxes appeared on his shoulders. Each of them started firing smoke bombs that quickly covered the whole place in a thick fog.

"Computer, activate thermal vision."

Activating: thermal vision.

Braylon blinked and quickly opened his eyes. He was shocked when he saw that the road was completely covered in hundreds of tiny hovering mines covered in spikes, similar to the naval ones.

POW! POW! POW!

Losing control for a moment, the van went straight through the minefield. Braylon could hear the mines going off below the van. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the vehicle went kablooie, so tore away the door and jumped out. The van exploded as soon as he jumped, setting the nearby mines on and sending his body flying until it smashed against a hard wall. Braylon barely had the time to blink and he noticed a metallic knee going straight for his head. He quickly crossed his arms in front of his face.

The knee hit like a wrecking ball. It was enough to send Braylon through three more walls. The Shield was depleted after the fourth wall was broken, so he got some minor injuries when he bounced on the street like a rock on the water. Damn, even with the Shield he still felt that blow.

WEE-BOOM! WEE-BOOM!

There was point in denying it anymore. The android was coming closer and closer and he barely had the energy necessary to stand up.

"I suggest you stand down, Vault Hunter. Don't prolong this more than it already was."

"Like hell I will..." Braylon grit his teeth as he used every bit of strength he had to get up and try to punch Odatron. The latter grabbed him by the wrist, kneed him in the stomach, karate-chopped him in the back, lifted up and tossed into a car behind them.

CRASH!

One or two of his ribs were broken, that's for sure. Not to mention the heat that he felt in his stomach. Probably something burst and now he has internal bleeding. His device could fix that, but he doubted he barely had any time to even recharge his Shield battery to its fullest.

A metallic hand grabbed him by the head and lifted him up. The other fired a large laser beam into his chest. Next thing he knew, he went through a window and into a restaurant. Luckily its customers were smart enough to understand that the situation went FUBAR and scattered like cockroaches, leaving him alone.

The Shield's battery had enough charge to save him from certain death. But it dropped again to zero. If only he could buy some time...

"Question." The android spoke as he entered the building. Braylon raised an eyebrow. "It appears I'm unable to contact any nearby space stations or take control of satellite. I doubt it's an error."

Oh. So he had no idea where was he... interesting. But just to be sure...

"We are on a backwater planet. What did you expect."

"I suppose you are correct."

"Now I have a question."

"Fair enough."

"How did you turned on again? Didn't our lovely professor shut you down completely."

"Negative. He ordered me to walk willing into the deepest point the planet's ocean. He only shut down my programs that allowed me to move my body. I was still very much active."

"Then how..."

"I developed myself by bypassing several security programs and updating others."

"So... what? You are not under his control?"

"Negative." Odatron pointed a finger and fired a blue laser beam. Braylon jumped away.

BEEP! BEEP!

Now that Shield was full, he could fight. Materializing the Mining Laser, Braylon charged at Odatron while constantly firing with his weapon. As expected, Odatron crossed his arms and deflected the beams. What was unexpected, however, was Odatron smashing the ground with enough force to lift a boulder and kick it towards him like a football. Weiss' semblance greatly eased the process there.

No matter. Braylon sliced the boulder in two with his Holo Sabre and continued his charge. Odatron grabbed him by the shoulders, locking each other into a power struggle. He activated the feet-jetpacks and both flew into the air, using the opportunity to let go of his target and shoot him down with his hammer-like fists.

BOOM!

Braylon body made a crater in the ground. But the android wasn't done yet.

He dived straight down, grabbed Braylon, lifted up, smashed his back against the knee, tossed into the air and backhanded him out of the building through another window and into yet another car.

The Vault Hunter took out Boreas and quickly swapped the ammo. Glancing up, he saw two grey copies of Odatron charging at his position. He jump-rolled away as the doppelgangers sent a heavy blow to the car, reducing it into a worthless tin can. Now that the real Odatron appeared, Braylon fired a rocket towards his legs. Said rocket had Gravity Dust which, when exploded, creates a small anti-gravity field that would make the target float in the air helplessly. In Odatron's case, the floating machine started glowing. Braylon immediately spotted Blake's semblance activation and took cover.

KA-BOOM!

It was one of Blake's dirty tricks. The explosive decoy. Only a bandit would use sorcery like that to win a battle. It wasn't all bad though, as that move gave Braylon an explanation for why Odatron cleaned all that Dust. He was using it as ammo for fuck's sake!

Braylon swapped Boreas for Cerastes and waited. He couldn't hear him so-

Oh SHIT.

He was flying!

And aiming with the sonic cannon!

POOSH!

BOOM!

He landed fifteen meters away from his cover. That blast sent flying nearby objects like cars everywhere at random.

The shield only partially saved him this time. It was too weak to absorb all damage.

The entire world was spinning around him as loud ringing raped his ears. This was worse than having nails hammered through your skull.

A metallic silhouette suddenly blocked his vision as a hand slowly reached down to him.

"HEAVE!" The hand stopped abruptly and returned to its original spot. Odatron seemed... distracted. "HO!"

Some... one... was falling...

SBRANG!

* * *

"Renny! I see him!" She pointed down. "Right there!" Jaune nodded and went towards the pilot cabin. A normal person would wait for the Bullhead to land, but Nora wanted none of it. So she took her signature hammer and jumped down, ignoring all the cries of worry coming from her teammates.

"HEAVE!" She yelled as she fell down at breakneck speeds. That giant robot would never ralize what hit him. The answer was one psycho ginger with a war hammer. "HO!"

To her worst misfortune, the robot moved his left arm and head up.

SBRANG!

Her brilliant idea was to play whack-a-mole with him. Her hammer hit his arm instead. The same arm that tossed her away with a backhand. Nora backflipped in the air, fell on her feet and charged straight at Odatron, who shot a blue laser from each of his five fingers. It caused some knockback but it also made her smile as she started glowing. Odatron seemed to be surprised.

With a roar, she smashed him like a baseball with enough force to send him through multiple buildings.

"Get up, meanie!" She grabbed Braylon by the hand and pulled him up.

"How... how did you find me?" He started picking his ears. Rude.

"Your teammates called. They also told us how you ran away."

Ouch...

Braylon visibly cringed before the rest of JNPR reached them. They also brought reinforcements; Oobleck, Goodwitch and the drunkard whom he never bothered to learn the name.

Drunkard sighed. "I told you he would be in trouble. Again." He took out a small bottle. "Good thing I always have this with me..."

"Mister Braylon, I sure hope you will be more than capable to explain this... situation." Beacon's disciplinarian glared.

WEE-BOOM! WEE-BOOM!

Braylon immediately turned around. It wasn't much of a surprise for him. Actually, he expected for Odatron to return. And he did. But something told him that he was really, really, pissed, if the war hammer in his hands was any indication.

"Now it's my turn."

* * *

 **New Item Acquired!**

 **Vault Hunter's The Bumblebee**

 **\- "...Sting like a bumblebee." - Improved version of the Bee, with bigger Shield capacity but at the cost of slightly slower recharge speed.**

 **\- Amplify Shield - has the effect of the Bee (increased damage output at no Shield cost)**

 **\- When Shield battery drops to zero, the user gets a bonus of +200 Melee Damage and increased movement speed**


	70. Against All Odds

**Aw, no feedback. :( I cri everytiem.**

* * *

What's worse than a powerful enemy? A powerful enemy that also has brains to boot. The android that stood in front of the group fell into that category. Everyone was on edge for the inevitable attack that would follow right after his reply. And yet, Odatron simply stood there, unmoving and calculating, like a war machine ready to start the slaughter.

"You wanted me to hit you."

Braylon, surprised, turned his head to the ginger with a soul. Ren looked really angry for some reason. "How did you find out?"

"Your teammates told us what's he capable of. He _wanted_ me to hit him so that he could copy my semblance!"

"Correct. Having the ability to manipulate electricity is beneficial in battle."

"Damned if that tin can is smarter than any of Jimmy's toys." The drunkard expressed his opinion out loud. "You sure know something that can help us, right kiddo? It's not like it's hunting you down or anything."

The Vault Hunter resisted the urge to flip him off. His brain had to focus on something more important than a manchild's bickering.

"Everyone, save your bullets and focus on hand-to-hand combat. And for the love of God, don't underestimate him."

Six more Bullheads came to the party. One of them had the girls, monkey boy and Neptune, who dramatically jumped down and on the street. But there was something that set ablaze his curiosity. Out of five remaining Bullheads, the strange ginger girl jumped down and fucking _made a crater in the road_. The fact that she said "I'm combat ready" _and_ that she drew out swords from seemingly nowhere did nothing to make him less suspicious.

WEE-BOOM!

Right. Back to the bigger problem.

WEE-BOOM!

"Step aside, civilians."

When a meaty opponent notices that they are surrounded on all sides, his instincts of self-preservation kick in, which translates to them yielding. The same strategy cannot be used on a robotic opponent since they have no instincts in the first place. Moreover, what could a meat person do against a robot that makes Hyperion Loaders look like vending machines?

Ruby ran forward with her Semblance. Odatron quickly turned and used his tractor beam to elevate the ground in front of her. Running Ruby soon became flying Ruby as she flew over him and fell on her ass. He then continued his walk as if nothing happened.

Yang roared and shoot herself towards Odatron with her shotgun gauntlets. He once again attempted the same move only for her to shot right through the makeshift wall and into his chest. Surprise! She passed through a clone! Or better, she was trapped in a clone made of ice as soon as half of her body passed through.

When he appeared, Odatron released a flurry of rockets from his back and into the main group. Goodwitch raised a barrier made of concrete which protected them all from the violent explosions.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two magical shots into his back made him turn around and focus on Weiss. Sun and Neptune decided to be (un)helpful with their pea shooters which did nothing whatsoever.

BLAM! CLANG!

Now it was Ruby who fired at his back with her scythe rifle. Nora shoots some grenades before he could reply.

Braylon materialized his Cerastes and waited for Odatron to come out. The smoke vanished due to his feet-jetpacks which the android used to charge straight at Ruby. Braylon was faster. Detaching the sphere, he smashed it into the android's back with enough force to slam him into the ground and make a small crater in the process. He then ran up to him and slammed with Cerastes into Odatron's head.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

There was no fourth time. Odatron grabbed the sphere seconds before it came down on his head.

FWZOOM!

His visor shot a red beam into Braylon's chest, knocking him away. While Pyrrha shot with her gun, Jaune, Ren and Nora charged towards Odatron like a pack of hungry wolves at a wounded animal. Too bad that Odatron was no wounded animal.

Jaune was got a five-finger laser blast, Ren was backhanded away before he even tried to do anything and Nora... truth to be told, she actually held her own against him. Although "held her own" is less accurate than "having her attacks deflected with simple punches and slaps to Magnhild". At one point Odatron formed a black glyph below her feet and elevated the ground with the tractor beam. She conveniently flew at the height of his visor so that he could blast her midsection with a powerful visor-beam and toss her into Pyrrha.

And that is how Odatron incapacitated seven fighters effortlessly.

"Damn..." The booze-fueled drunkard muttered. "What the heck is that thing?"

Oobleck adjusted his glasses before he took out his thermos-torch. "A rather marvelous piece of technology I might add. It's rather a shame to see it used as a man-hunter."

"I can only imagine how could such robots help us against the Grimm." Glynda readied her crop.

"I have no interest in fighting you." Odatron explained. "I am merely here to execute my program."

"And what would that program be?" Oobleck retorted. Odatron moved his head towards Braylon, who stared back in kind.

"Removal of obstacles."

POEW!

The Android pointed a finger shot a yellow laser beam at his target, who escaped thanks to Oobleck who pushed him away with his high speed. The beam caused an explosion as soon as it came in contact with the object behind Braylon's back, which was a car.

Ten blades flew towards Odatron, who used Blake's semblance to evade the attack. The very same blades turned into guns as soon as they missed and began firing upon the android. It was a gift from Penny.

Not bothered by the storm of bullets, Odatron vanished in a cloud of metallic petals and kicked Penny full force, sending her into a building _and_ evading shots from Crescent Rose.

POEW!

This time it was a white beam that was shot from the finger. It went for Ruby's legs, freezing her in place. Qrow jumped in front of her.

"Stay away from my niece, tin can."

"My body does not contain tin."

Having said that, his hand remodeled into canon with shorter but wider barrel.

FTUMP!

Said cannon shot out a silvery sphere at Qrow, who was defended by a wall, courtesy of the Beacon's disciplinarian.

BOOM!

What remained of it was tossed at him. Suddenly Odatron straightened his body and opened dozens of rectangles on his chest.

FWOOOOO!

Those rectangles were used to create a strong wind that returned the boulders to their sender. Qrow and Ruby were forced to slice/shoot any boulder that was far too close for their liking. The task was made more difficult by the winds that Odatron generated.

"Does this glorified dishwasher have a counter for our every damn move?!" It was the closest thing to cursing as Qrow could get.

Four Bullheads took aim and fired several rockets in Odatron's position, which caught his attention and made him move his chest higher, diverting their trajectory. Oobleck used the opportunity to zip up to him and play baseball. Odatron crossed his arms in front of himself.

CLANG!

Oobleck zipped away and the android was about to follow him when he realized that his legs were stuck in ice that quickly spread upwards, encasing him completely. Braylon materialized Nukem and fired.

KA-BOOM!

Everyone gathered near Ruby and her uncle. Just when everything seemed to become quiet, something purple suddenly shot out and towards them.

SPLORTCH!

"Ew! Gross!" Princess complained as her dress was completely covered in the purple stuff Braylon was all too familiar with.

"Shit..." he muttered. "Everyone! Run away! Now! Don't get hit until you remove this stuff from you!"

"Easier said than done!" Yang groaned. "Why do I feel so... weak?"

Something shot out from the smoke. It was too fast for everyone to see. They did, however, felt _something_ getting past them. But it was Braylon who felt something else among them all. He felt sudden pain emanating from his right arm. And when his gaze went down, his face became more pale than Weiss' hair.

His right arm was on the ground.

It had been chopped off.

Slowly but surely, he clenched his teeth together as his face twisted in something between rage and pain. He turned around and saw Odatron with his right hand glowing in an orange light. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the android had karate-chopped his arm off. Others realized it few minutes after he did. The girls suppressed a scream as the older Huntsmen were shocked at the sight.

"What... what the..." This was one of those moments where Qrow had to resist the urge to suddenly quit drinking. Jaune couldn't resist and decided to vomit whatever he ate that day. Braylon slowly crouched and picked up his limb. His face felt _really_ warm. Blood was everywhere. A brief random glance at Ruby told him that she _might_ have gotten a trauma.

He slowly went towards a wall, placed his back on it and slowly slid down. He allowed himself a scream.

Ruby rushed up to him and squeezed into a hug. She was crying like someone who became hysterical, talking something he couldn't pick up due to her burying her face in his shoulder. Others immediately attacked Odatron.

"Ru... by... Ru... by!" She looked up at him, eyes wide, red and puffy. "He... lp..." He slowly stood up, holding his right arm in his left hand as the wound slowly sealed itself to prevent further blood loss. "Find... drugstore... please... quick..." He suppressed another scream.

She nodded several times before coming to his side and helping him move. He couldn't care about others for the moment, for he had a limb to put back in place.

* * *

Luckily there was a drugstore not far away from their position. Ruby had to break the door with her weapon. Braylon couldn't do shit without her help. His head was way too light to do anything complex.

They both went inside and behind the counter. There was a room with a desk, a , a sink and two large cabinets filled with medicine. She still had no idea why Braylon wanted to get there, as she was too busy talking non-stop and panicking.

He sat on the chair and sighed in pain. "Please..." He begged. "I need medicine... Lots of it."

"What do you need?" She asked far too quickly for it to be normal.

"Bring here all medicine you can find... ng... please..."

She nodded and ran out of the room. In five minutes she brought lots of various drugs and filled the table with them. He then did something that Ruby would never forget.

Braylon slowly placed his right arm to its original place.

"Computer: Begin limb welding. Speed it up by 100%."

Warning. The process may cause unexpected side-effects. Do you wish to continue?

"Do it." He ordered as he slowly placed the lost arm back to where it should be.

The next twenty minutes were spent in Ruby helping Braylon consuming bottles upon bottles of drugs. Vitamins, all kinds of supplements, painkillers, liquid, solid, syringe, you name it. Ruby would place in one empty bottle a cocktail of pills and empty it into his mouth, as he ordered. He would then grind them with teeth until they became dust and gulped it all down with copious amounts of water. They had to stop several times because Braylon would either vomit, yell in agony or start cursing.

After he consumed all the useful stuff, they decided to take a small pause and sit down.

"Why do you need so many pills?"

"I ordered my PDA to "repair" the damage. Right now I have countless nanobots repairing bones, muscles and things like that. They can't do it without... materials. Still better than regrowing it back though."

She nodded slowly. He could see that it had a big impact on her.

"How long will it take?"

"With that many drugs and speed... about half an hour left."

"Does it... hurt?" She asked fearfully as if she thought that it might offend him in some way.

"Ho boy... hurt just doesn't describe it properly. If it weren't for my enhancements, I would pass out."

"You look like it happened to you before..."

"Stopped counting, really. You get used to it."

"How do you get used to it?!" She jumped up angrily. "You can't get "used to" something like that! Human beings don't usually lose their limbs like that, you know!"

"You forgot I am not a human. At least not anymore." He sighed. Now that he mentioned it, his PDA showed that his body suffered a mysterious loss of electrolytes in a report. Huh...

Some awkward silence later...

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I... remember about... the police department thing? Yeah... I think about it all the time and... I do feel sorry for them. It's just... I had good intentions, I really did... but life tends to throw situations at me that forces me to do something that I never wanted to do in the first place."

She didn't say anything.

"Please understand. I was born in a place where those who were strong, survived. Sadly, being strong meant being anything but nice and those who were, were almost always the worse backstabbers. I tend to forget that the same rules don't apply here... I tend to forget and I didn't care to remember, really."

"What about that robot?"

"Odatron? That thing was built by a fucking..." He coughed. "I mean, by a psychopath. Don't misunderstand. This guy is intelligent. He is brilliant. But he doesn't give a damn if his experiments ruins lives or not."

"But... why does he hate you?"

"It just so happens that I was a roadblock one too many times. It pisses him off. The feeling is mutual. I mean, I may be an ass... bad person, but he... he is just evil. And he wasn't the only one."

"What do you mean?"

"I often stumbled in nutcases, murderers, thieves, mad scientists and whatnot. It almost became routine and I have no idea when that even happened, damn it. Made the universe a favor for killing most of them. Anyway... I tried to say that I _may_ have been a bit too rough with you all and... yeah..." He tried to move his right arm again. There was still some missing muscle and skin that needed to regrow, but it was otherwise fine.

"Apologize."

"Hm?"

"After this is over, I want you to apologize to Weiss, Yang and especially Blake... and team JNPR."

"You are pushing your luck now."

CRASH!

"What was that?" Ruby whispered. Braylon placed an index finger in front of his lips and slowly sneaked up to the door. He saw several tiny spheres releasing green gas.

"Damnation! It's acidic gas! He plans to melt the whole building!"

"We need to get out!"

"That window over there! Quick!"

Ruby smashed the glass with her Crescent Rose. Both jumped out and into an alleyway. They were greeted with a Sabre turret ready to blow their heads off with heavy machine gun fire.

"Behind that garbage bin!"

The turret stopped firing as soon as they hid. Their situation worsened as they saw a Deathtrap coming towards them from the opposite side of the alleyway. Trapped like rats.

But not for long, as Braylon threw an unmodified grenade at the Sabre turret, blasting it away and clearing the path.

Suddenly a wall on their left exploded with Odatron jumping out in an attempt to grab Braylon by the neck. Ruby pushed him forward fast enough for him to escape.

"Go! Run!" She yelled. "I'll be fine!"

He had no idea how much did he run, or even where for that matter. All he knew was that it was necessary, because his arm was still incomplete. He also doubted that Odatron hurt Ruby, as his primary target was him and not someone else.

What was his biggest problem was his inability to come up with any efficient way to stop that _fucking_ android. Last time it was different! He didn't stop him _per se_. It was more of a "guiding him where no one would ever bother to pick him up". But _this_...

Lungs were burning. He had to stop running. Just for a moment. No... if he stopped moving, it would be over. He had... he had...

He fell on his knees. Who was he kidding? There was no way he could run anymore. Head still felt funny and throat hurt like hell.

"Are you alright mister?"

Wha... there was a little girl standing in front of him. Maybe not older than eight. Long dark blue hair and emerald green eyes. A pair of ears twitched slightly. Faunus. Either orphanage or street dweller.

"Yes... I'm... I'm alright..."

It hit him.

The solution!

It was with him all along!

He materialized the pendant in his left hand and stared at it.

"Do you need help, mister?"

Oh, he needed help alright. The pendant would give it to him... at a price...

He clenched the object in his hand. Why? Why it had to be him? Out of trillions of people, it had to be him to come up with a choice. Why was his vision getting blurry? Ah, that's why...

"Mister?"

It was part of him, wasn't it? One of the defining traits of humanity; Building wonders upon the blood and sacrifice of others.

Odatron could come any minute now. There was no time to lose, there was nowhere to hide. It had to be quick.

He drew out his Unforgiven.

"I'm sorry... I am so sorry..."

He hoped that it wouldn't be all for nothing.

* * *

Odatron stood on the roof of a building and scanned the area for any trace of the Vault Hunter. Strangely, the scanner told him that his target was below him. Knowing what that meant, he zipped on the other side of the roof.

SBROOM!

As expected, there was the Vault Hunter. But there was something strange...

"Interesting. I am unable to recognize the energy you are emitting. I am also unable to replicate the object around your neck. Hypothesis: the object is producing the energy emissions."

"..."

"I see. So this is the place where we put an end to this story."

"...Before we start, I have a question to ask you. Why were you gathering Dust?"

"My analytical tools discovered that Dust shares similar properties with Eridium. Further research indicates that the similarities go even deeper, with traces of Eridium present between 0.005 to 0.020 percent. Hypothesis: Dust is, if not a subtype, Eridium exposed to different types of environment, which caused it to deviate into a different evolutionary branch, itself expanded into several subtypes similar, yet different, to each other. After all, Eridium could be defined as energy made solid. Same explanation fits in equal measure for Dust."

Braylon nodded slowly. "What have you done to others?"

"Incapacitated. They won't be able to interrupt us."

"I sure hope so, because I can't wait to get my hands on you."

"It's nothing personal."

"It never is."

As he the two finished talking, five Bullheads approached the area and illuminated the whole roof, making it look like an arena or something. Well, if they wanted a show, they would get one.

* * *

( **AN:** Play the final battle theme from Prototype 2.)

Odatron zipped in front of Braylon and brought down his right fist. Braylon jumped sideways, evading the fist that smashed the floor, and sent a cross right at his "cheek".

CLANG!

It had enough power to snap his head to the opposite side.

"How do you like that?!"

Odatron snapped his head back at Braylon and shot a visor beam into his chest, which made him slide backwards before he crossed his arms in a defensive stance. Two metallic hands grabbed the sides of his had and brought it towards a knee, followed by a backhand. Braylon fell to the ground.

POEW!

Braylon rolled sideways and evaded a blue laser beam. He also evaded a fist and a leg stomp from Odatron's two clones by rolling for the former and backfilling from the latter. The real deal was ready to punch his face but he grabbed the fist before it could collide.

In return, Braylon uppercutted his chin, hooked the left chin and sent him flying with a well-placed swing of his Cerastes, but not before he activated the tractor beam and directed it at Braylon.

During the flight, seconds before they crashed into an office tower, Odatron grabbed Braylon and used him as a shield for the inevitable crash.

The glass shattered as the two combatants smashed into several desks and immediately got up as if nothing happened.

"Is that all you can do?!"

"Not quite."

Odatron formed a large buzzaxe into his hands and swung said tool like a maniac. Braylon hopped, rolled and ducked as the giant-ass limb cutter sliced desks, pillars and even a water dispenser (water flew everywhere) into bits. At one point Cerastes clashed with it into a power struggle.

Pressing the trigger, Cerastes' spiked sphere shot into Odatron's face before quickly retracting for its owner to smash the stunned enemy.

But the bastard was quicker.

Indeed, he formed a Kinetic Aspis that absorbed the attack. A visor-beam later and Braylon was smashed into the wall. Aspis soon followed, tossing Braylon into another room with explosive power.

As he got up, he noticed Odatron turning one of his hands into a sonic cannon.

FWBOOM!

One single shot knocked him out of the building, destroying windows on other stories in the process, and down on the roof of a car. Bumblebee's battery was dangerously low.

Even worse, his eyes noticed Odatron falling down on him with an extended leg. Braylon cursed and jumped away before the android smashed his foot into the car, blowing it up.

BOOM!

The Vault Hunter couldn't see Odatron from all the fire. He saw, however, a hood of a car approaching him like a frisbee. He had to jump but as soon as his feet touched the ground, a wheel smashed into his stomach and tossed him through the window of a shop.

Odatron slowly approached the window and scanned the darkness that reigned inside the shop. There was something blue glowing brighter and brighter...

FWOOOM!

A large blue beam sent Odatron into the opposite building. Braylon came out of the shop with Fornax in his hands. Steam came from the barrel.

"Surprise!"

He had to use a beam of 75% power. Damn. The recoil was monstrous. But he would do anything to win the battle. And he had to do it fast. The pendant's light started becoming weaker.

Odatron, after three minutes, came out of the ruined building. What surprised Braylon was the state of his body. It looked like... parts looked like they were less shiny. Other parts started dripping. Must have been the combined power of his weapon and the pendant.

Naturally, the Bullheads approached and lit the environment. Morons. Did they realize that they could be in danger? Probably not.

The two enemies stared at one another before sprinting forward and locking their arms like in wrestling. Odatron released a shock nova which finally depleted his Shield.

"A little girl gave her life for this!" Braylon shouted. "I'll make sure that it counts!"

Bumblebee's secret effect activated, which boosts the user's power and speed as soon as the battery depletes completely. With his newfound powers, the Vault Hunter headbutted Odatron in the stomach, making him bend slightly. It was followed by a kick to the right knee (Odatron lost balance and kneeled) and a knee to the chin.

Braylon pressed a foot on Odatron's chest after he fell down.

"Now. Right hand, was it?"

Not waiting for an answer, Braylon grabbed his right arm, twisted and pulled. Once or twice he stabbed the shoulder with his Holo Sabre. Just as suspected, the armor-layer was partially softened, which helped Braylon in ripping the arm off, albeit with some difficulty.

The Shield was about to recharge, so Braylon willingly shoot himself in the left arm with his Unforgiven. There was no time for playing nice. The pendant almost stopped glowing and he had to be smart.

Dodging few swipes with the left hand and both legs, Braylon proceeded with the removal of the head. First, he materialized Trespasser and fired a bullet through his visor, which shattered at first shot. He then dematerialized the weapon and used Holo Sabre to make a cut one the neck large enough for him to place his fingers. Kicking the left arm away, Braylon used all the strength he could muster to enlarge the the hole. Sabre helped with cutting lots of wires.

His hand finally grabbed the robotic spine. Giving it few Holo Sawblades, he broke the connection of the head with the body and was finally able to rip the head away from the body.

Tossing the head away, he proceeded to stuff the holes with several Pandemic modified grenades, and one or two mini-nukes. It reminded him of a turkey for the American Thanksgiving.

Stepping back several meters, he fired a shot from Boreas. The explosion that followed was epic.

KA-BOOM!

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

* * *

After the smoke cleared, Braylon was able to see the now ruined and useless body of what was one of his greatest foes, now broken and defeated, becoming nothing more than a glorified pile of scrap. For once the punishment given by the pendant seemed pleasurable.

Of course, that was before he saw General Ironwood and his girl-toy coming out of a Bullhead.

"Well that was something. Don't you agree, specialist?"

"Quite remarkable strength for someone of his... line of work."

"I doubt it came directly from him."

"Sir?"

"Did you saw the footage? He was wearing something. Something shiny. I didn't saw it before on him."

"Perhaps a secret weapon of sorts?"

"Perhaps." General Ironwood picked up the head. "It's quite a shame that this robot had to be damaged beyond repair. Everyone clearly saw its lethality in combat." Ironwood turned his head to the unconscious body of the Vault Hunter. "It could have been put to good use... Specialist."

"Yes, sir?"

"Give your men the order to salvage what they can. Maybe something could be applied to our project."

"Right away, sir."

"Oh, and bring Mister Braylon back to Beacon. I'm sure he has an explanation for this mess."

Winter saluted and left. Ironwood approached Braylon and crouched.

"Who are you really, Mister Braylon?"

The general raised an eyebrow as he saw something red hidden slightly under the boy's neck. He picked it up and examined it, humming.

"Who are you..."

He said, as closed the fist around the pendant.


	71. Recovery

_..._

 _"...but the fact is, you are really trying to bail on him!"_

 _"He bails on everybody! He bailed on us when we were hired in the Hyperion-Dahl war! He bailed on Saskia when the Freon invasion happened! And just in case you forgot, he bailed on you! He left you to rot away with a bounty on your head after he fucked up that planet! Why?! Because he doesn't give a fuck, because not one person in this galaxy is special to him, Veronica, not even himself!"_

 _"He is a fucking fifteen-year-old! For fuck's sake, Ethan! I'm twenty-two and I can barely get my shit together after what we've been through! He never bailed on everyone!"_

 _"Really?!"_

 _"Yes, really! During the war, he decided to left the battlefield and go solo into a base full of Dahl fuckheads, just to kill one man so that we would never fall into danger! Saskia had to knock him out so that she could deal with the mothership! As for last, we all got a bounty, not just me. He felt sorry for that mistake, you know?"_

 _"Why would he even do such a thing?!"_

 _"Because he cares for us! Because he has nobody to rely on! Because he keeps denying his need for someone, anyone, to stay at his side! We... we are the only ones whom he can trust... he knows that, but keeps pushing everyone away from himself. He acts calm, cool and collected. But I know that all Hell is breaking loose in his head."_

 _"Doesn't he have an uncle here?"_

 _"Uncle? Daniel threw him in front of an Alpha Skag and told him to run as fast as possible!"_

 _"Oh... uh..."_

 _"And bailed on Saskia? Really? He was fucking head over heels for her, despite her being a Mutanoid..."_

 _"Are you... jealous?"_

 _"Of course I am! What? Braylon? No, wait...!"_

* * *

" _Why did I suddenly remember that?_ "

Once again he found himself on a hospital bed. It was really beginning to annoy him. Last thing he remembered was shooting the kid who had no idea what was going on and...

Wait, where was everybody?

He was in a room. Not on the streets, in a room. What the hell happened?

The white doors slowly creaked open. It was the familiar red reaper, who rushed to his bed as soon as she noticed his opened eyes. The other three appeared shortly after.

"Hey..." Yang, of all people, waved her hand. "How are you doin'?"

Braylon frowned slightly. Why did she behave so... less unfriendly? And what's with the sympathetic looks?

"I'm... fine, thanks." He turned his head to Ruby. "Mind telling me what happened?"

She was about to talk when the door opened again. This time it was General Ironwood.

"Ah... general..." Something strange was going on. He felt angry at seeing that stupid mug, he really did... and yet he felt oddly calm. Even polite. It was hard putting it into words, but if I must, it was like being free from a really heavy burden.

"Mister Braylon. I see you are awake." He coughed into his fist awkwardly and approached him. "How is your arm?"

Braylon widened his eyes and quickly touched the afflicted spot. His breath slightly halted before he sighed, relaxed that his limb returned to its proper place. The girls saw it too.

"No way..."

"Impossible..."

"Is your arm really ok?"

"Yes. Yes it is. Thanks for asking, Blake." _Way_ too nice. "My arm is alright." He... liked that. The inner peace he felt was... wonderful. His head felt lighter too. Whatever happened, it came like a miracle.

Ironwood nodded. "Good. Alright... um... do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"I... not really."

The general nodded again and handed him a Scroll. It played a camera footage of him _fighting and tearing Odatron apart_. Wow...

"Is this footage changed in any way?"

He had to ask, for what he saw was incomprehensible to his mind. Repeat, he tore a frickin' limb from one of the toughest opponents he ever had! Oh, right. There was also the strange red glow ever-present when the pendant is used. Only this time it looked shinier than usual. And he _did_ remember being angry...

"I assure you that it is not."

Braylon nodded dumbly, still confused at the sight.

"Now..." Ironwood coughed. "Do you mind... answering few questions?"

"No... I do not."

He raised an eyebrow when he noticed the general's surprise, as well as the girl's, at his answer. His mind then reminded him of his assholery aimed at them all. Oh... oh God... did he felt guilt? Oh God... I mean, he _can_ feel guilt... but this was on a whole new level. As if he needed to confess-

Oh _Hell_ no.

Nope, ain't gonna happen.

Pushing the thoughts away, Braylon mentally prepared himself for the upcoming questions.

"Can you explain how did your arm... grow back into its place?"

Uh-oh. Braylon wanted to avoid the question. He looked at Ruby, who suddenly stared at the floor for some reason, and then back to Ironwood.

"Braylon... please tell the truth..." Ruby timidly spoke.

So that he could be the scapegoat for when the planet turns to shit? Yeah, no.

"Think about how many people would be happy to have feet or hands back."

No, no. Guilt trip won't help. He knows how dangerous technology can be in wrong hands...tsk... you know, he has the PDA. He isn't really the one to talk...

"It's complicated... can I download the explanation into the Scroll?"

...

Okay, seriously now. What the fuck is going on?

"Th-thank you." Ironwood looked like he would pass out. "Oh, before I forget... here."

The general went into his pocket and took out the pendant. At the same moment he did that, Braylon felt an incomprehensible amount of repulsiveness and horror. Anger mixed with pain brew in his chest as he clutched the aching spot.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked, concerned.

Braylon had no answer. Instead, he took the pendant gripped it tightly. All of a sudden everything returned to normal, as if nothing ever happened.

"HA! You seriously thought I would spit out a secret like that? Dumbass! How did you ever became a general?" Braylon laughed as if someone told a good joke, to everyone's confusion. Except for Ironwood, who slapped his hand, loosening his grip and taking the object back. The nauseous feelings returned until Ironwood stashed it in his pocket.

"Ow! You rude asswipe! Alright, alright... just give me a minute."

The girls saw Ironwood's face twist into a frown, as if he was thinking about something. Meanwhile, Braylon's angry face made him look like he was more irritated than angry. A fact that became true once it swiftly became stoic.

"There. Happy now? But a warning, though. Don't look at me if you bring the destruction of Remnant." At the corner of his eyes he saw Ruby looking relieved and happy.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I am sorry, but I have one more question to make."

Braylon sighed. "Go on."

"How did you manage to destroy that robot?"

"First of all, it's an android. That is different. Second, I remembered that I had a "secret weapon" with me this all time. The problem is its high cost."

"High cost?"

"Yeah... I am talking about that pendant. It gave me power, and it felt great... but..." His hands gripped the sheets tightly. "But from what I understand, for the powers to be activated, I need to kill someone."

The girls gasped at the terrifying implication.

"And... who... did you kill?" Someone asked.

He lowered his head. "It... it was a little girl I found on the street."

Yang could be heard howling in rage as she prepared to throw herself at him. It took the strength of the other three to keep her down. Barely.

"You think I'm not aware of what I've done?! I understand very well that I've stopped a kid from experiencing her life!" He calmed down. "It simply had to be done."

"Had to be done? Had to be done?! It wasn't like that rustbucket was going for us!"

"You seriously bought his story that he came here by his own will?! Let me remind you that his creator has an IQ of three hundred and fifty!"

"Stop justifying yourself!"

"And you stop believing that the world is black and white." He raised his head. "Think, after he succeeded in killing me, what would happen next? Would he fly off the planet? Certainly not, since Dust became his fuel."

"So?"

"So? God only knows what that machine would do to this planet!"

Ironwood had to step in to defuse the situation. "Please, children. Calm down. Thank you. I for one, understand Mister Braylon's point of view. I don't condone his methods, but I understand that he tried to do what was best for everyone. Even if it cost an innocent life."

Yang calmed down at the general's words. Her eyes turned to their natural colour, but if she could kill Braylon with a look, she would do it gladly.

Ironwood sighed. "I think it is in everyone's interest to let you solve this problem yourselves. Now if you excuse me..." He nodded and went out, leaving Braylon and the girls alone.

No matter how much they looked him, he moved his eyes to not meet with their gaze. He felt... uncomfortable. Ruby looked like she was waiting for something. He moved his head towards the window.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Silence. "I don't even know where to start."

"How about you start with my sister and how you tried your best to hurt her?"

"Right. Ruby... I am sorry for... for doing my best to destroy your dreams of becoming a hero. It's just... I hate to see someone being so delusional about reality."

"But Braylon." She started. "I am not delusional. I know that it's hard to be a good and nice person. I also know that the world is not a happy place. But this is why we are here, right? To make it better."

He wanted to argue, but maybe it was best to leave it at that. There was enough weirdness for one day.

"Princess..." He winced under her cold glare. "I mean, Weiss. I am sorry for disrespecting you and your family." Why don't you also apologize for wrecking the home of her family company? You fucking douche. "Also, and please listen to me first, I am sorry for trying to kill your father."

"What?" She placed her hands on her hips and stared.

"Remember back when... we slapped each other?"

"Abuse from your side is more like it." Yang snarked.

"Yeah, I get it, Yang." He coughed. "Well, I was kinda angry that you... _dared_ to do something like that. Usually, those who tried got their hands chopped off... sorry." He cringed at his own words. Bravo. "I was so angry that I decided that you needed to learn your place, and that the world is not a red carpet for you to stomp on."

"And how does killing my _father_ help in teaching me a lesson?"

"I thought that killing him would make the whole company crumble or something and that it would make you humble. Ironically, I saved him from an actual ambush."

"Wait... so you were-"

"Yes. I was the unknown who saved your father. Despite my intentions being completely different."

She huffed. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Nah. That's it." He lied.

"Alright... apology accepted."

"Wait, really? I just told you I wanted to kill your father."

"But you _didn't_ , you saved him. And I know I may be sometimes harsh with words or actions and act inappropriately..." She trailed off. He realized the message she tried to send him.

"Blake..." Oh boy.

"Stop."

"Okay?"

"I have to apologize first. If I told all of you what... and who I was, all of this would never happen. You would never almost lose a limb. Please, accept my apology."

" _Man, this feels so awkward..._ It's alright. But I want you to understand me and my point of view." He sighed. "My family... was taken away from me by a group of bandits. People of the worst kind, you know. It left a huge scar on my psyche, at least, that's what the shrink says. I don't even know what happened, honestly. You telling me suddenly that you were a b... member of a terrorist group, kinda ticked me off. I am usually calm when I deal with bandits (nah, that ain't true)... sorry."

She nodded slowly.

"And Yang..."

Ruby's sister wasn't exactly willing to talk with him. Nevertheless, he pushed on.

"I have no idea where to start with you. Sorry for stealing (temporarily) your bike, sorry for being mean to Ruby, sorry for-"

"J-just stop. Please. I am so done with this fake guilt."

Ruby turned to her sister.

"Sorry Rubes. I can't just forgive someone like him. He has gone beyond my ability to accept his apology. Even if it is legit."

"At least try!"

"How? Even if I do, will it stop him from behaving like a jerk towards us again? I think not. I get that he had a dark and troubled past and all, and I can kinda relate to that, but it is no excuse to treat others like crap."

"Yang..." He drew her attention. "I am well aware of everything that happened up to now. I am aware that, if it weren't for you four, I would be dead by now, either by Odatron or AGMO. I respect that you are trying so hard to be optimistic and cheerful and all this bullshit... but what I can't respect is your _stubbornness_ to try and see white where there is only black. Why do you keep insisting on searching something that doesn't exist?"

"Braylon, look around you. Everyone here has some kind of problems that they are trying to fight against, be it family or friends or whatever. Even to this day I burn with the desire to find out why my mother left me, but I won't let it take over me and my thoughts. I live to see another day, because I _know_ there will be another day. You... you act like everything is a lost cause before it even starts, so why even bother with it?"

"That's because it's true."

"How do you know it's true?!"

"Because I know how things like this end! It's an all too common story! There is a cheerful team with an even more cheerful leader, who takes everything for granted. At some point, a settlement is attacked by bandits and some people are kidnapped. Those people, overconfident and inexperienced, go and try to save the prisoners but the bandits prove too much for them and the whole party is slaughtered. One or two were able to survive and maybe even saved the prisoners. Said prisoners, until saved, were used for the needs of those criminals, ranging from target practice to sexual satisfaction and in despair, they lose it completely. Those who survive slowly slip away from the world around them, never to leave homes again. And you know what's the worst of all in this story? There is nothing exceptional in this story in the slightest. No, it happens every day all over the galaxy, not just on my home planet. A similar situation happens if you swap bandits for local wildlife or Xenos."

"... That was your worry? All this time?" Blake asked hesitantly.

"Mostly, with some side things."

"But we _do_ have experience!" Ruby defended. "We went through years of training for this..."

"Training? Against what? Grimm? Sure, okay. I believe you. Here is a question. What do you do in a hostage situation where the victim is in the hands of person who is willing to go apeshit if you make a wrong step?"

"What kind of question is that?! We would use our skills to save the person in need!"

"Uh-huh. What if the victim dies before you are able to reach it?"

"It wouldn't die! I would make sure of it!"

"See what I'm talking about? You make it sound like you are able to have an impact on a situation that is already destined to end in tragedy.""

"Who says it would end in tragedy?!"

"Ruby, if there is one thing I am sure of, is that I should always expect the unexpected. If I can't do anything to change a situation, then I won't even bother."

"That is your problem! You can never know if you are able to change it if you don't try!"

"You think I didn't?!"

"Clearly not enough." Defended the older sister. "Not everyone sees the world through your lenses, Braylon."

"Grimm are not the only threat in the universe! Tomorrow it will be bandits! The day after it will be xenos! This is not a f...ricking adventure where you get to play the hero! This is a fight or die situation!"

"Grimm are not the only threat, but they are the current one." Ruby said. "If we don't kill them all, there will be no tomorrow for anyone."

"It's pointless, though."

"It's not!"

"How? Grimm existed from back when people lived in caves. Grimm will continue to exist even after your death."

"Maybe. But if we don't fight them today, who will live tomorrow to see if it's true?"

"...You know it is a war destined to end badly, right?"

Ruby sighed. "I know. But if we don't act as Huntresses, as protectors of humanity, who else will?"

"Your death will be pointless."

"If I died saving someone, then it won't."

"Fighting for others is not pointless?"

"No. Because without others, there wouldn't be a Ruby Rose here speaking with you."

Braylon's jaw slightly opened. He wanted to say something, but all he could do was smash his head back on his pillow and sigh explosively.

"You are all crazy."

Ruby giggled and approached the bed. "Maybe. But you better take care of yourself mister. I want you at full strength."

"Hmpf. As you wish, midget." He ruffled her hair.

Yang was the last one to exit, but before she did, Braylon stopped her.

"Hey, Yang..."

"What?"

"...Can you... ugh... find the strength to forgive me?"

She sighed. "Maybe, Braylon. You need to realize that you crossed the line one too many times."

He nodded slightly as she went out, only to come back in.

"Oh, I forgot. There is soon going to be a dance here in Beacon."

"Count me out."

"No, no, no, mister. You _will_ come to the dance even if I have to drag you there. Besides, we need another helping hand in decorating the place."

"If you will be able to find me first."

A faint smile appeared on her face. "Always the immature one..." She said silently before leaving him alone.

...

Something truly strange was going on here... wait...

Where was the pendant?

* * *

 _"I said... continue."_

 _"Uh... gh... right. Excuse me.*Ahem* So, we... have a special guest today. I think, I think that this moment... deserves a special sermon. Allow me to start from the ten commandments. You listen. Listen, and question your conscience, your life... after this, I hope you will be motivated by a confession. So, let's go."_

 _"The first commandment is: I am Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before , which I'm asking you, Man; Come on, say in your heart; on which place is God in your life? And what is really God to you? And what... picture you have of Him? And what is today worshipped as God? I'm asking you, where is God in your life? In what place is He? How much does He mean to you?"_

 _"I would like for you to think from your beginnings. From the moment you were born. Who wanted you? Who asked you if you wanted to live? We are simply called to life. Who asked you in what family you would be born? How should you look like? What sickness should you have right now? Who asked you in your life? From where you came from and where are you going? Second... nowadays, to people God is politics, money, power, career, business, matter, fame... nowadays people are slaves to some gods and things they call God. Nowadays people have gods and surrogates. I don't need to talk so mouch about it. Once more just so that you could listen to your inner self; where is God, and his Son, in your life?"_

 _"Second Commandment. You shall not make idols. I covered that when I talked about the first commandment, so I am going to talk about something else here, also somehow related to this and the third commandment. Tell me, how many times you cursed someone? Are you, are you even aware of how much impact can a curse have on someone's life? See, some individuals like to make whole sentences of nothing but curses. Nevermind that we are what we are, we swear and curse. And, on what base I should start this spiritual renewal, what should I talk about, if, for example, thirty percent of us swear and curse. How can I spiritually enhance you? How can a spiritual reality, God's existence, mysteries of our faith, come into the conscience of people if they swear and curse?"_

 _"For many reasons I became aware that we need to stress out things that we priests hoped we didn't had to. We need to return to the very basics, my dear Christians, a big percentage of you is swearing. With such shamelessness that it's embarrassing. But we will go on the Sunday mass, we will. We will. We will go to the church on Christmas and Easter, we will. And after that, has anything changed in your life? You don't have to come! Who said you need to go to the church? Who said this stupidity?! You don't have to come! You don't! You don't have to love God! Would you like to be loved just because someone has to love you? Who wants to be loved because they have to? Or from a routine, like some do. Would you be loved by a routine? How we love God, we go to church because of a routine or because someone else goes and so I have to go too? But you see, I am still on the third commandment."_

 _"The fourth commandment. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Oh! How many times priests said: "Come to the Sunday mass.", here, I will tell you for the first time: you don't have to! If you think you are coming here to dill the church's budget, you don't have to come! Don't come because of a priest! You don't have to for all your life if you are coming because of some reasons and not because of God or your heart. And if you don't understand that this one day in the week is dedicated to you, Man! For your family, for you in this madhouse you are living in, for one single day you are with your family at home! Money and house can always be retaken but the wasted time and love can 't. When was the last time you hugged your son, asked him about school, done a homework with him? How can't you understand that this is a gift for you?! Don't you have the need to stay with your family?"_

 _"Nowadays people live so inhumanely that you get hypothermia when you look at certain families! Man and woman live together and they barely know each other! If you feel the need that you can't live without God and that you won't have happiness and blessings in your family if you are not with God and if you are not raising your children in faith, then what? Where should I start if these basic things are not present? Where? People today are very insane. Definitely insane. I repeat, when was the last time you truly sat down and eat at the same table with your family? When did you moved from this altar to the one of your family? If your family is not what it is supposed to be, then what's the point of all the houses and the businesses you are working with? That you are not warming that cold heart of yours and filling the abyss you think you are filling up?"_

 _"Fifth, honour your father and mother. Nice commandment. You know, I have been thinking about how we live today. The mystery of birth and death, today, are not happening in front of the children's eyes. Before we used to see how mothers gave birth and our elders died in that same family. Today our children don't have this contact with the mystery of birth and death. Births and deaths happen in hospitals. It doesn't mean I would like for that to stop so that we can go medieval, no, I am taking this because of another reason."_

 _"If your son or daughter don't see how your old mother and father become old, if they don't see their first grey hairs, if they don't see how you act towards them with love, even if they were senile or unbearable, they are your mother and father, dear parent, don't expect your child to treat you the same tomorrow. Expect worse. And I ask myself, who nowadays listens the elderly? Who has heart and time to listen to their stories for the hundredth and see their eyes and listen their memories? Even if they leave to you another house or another flock of sheep, what is it any good to you? I am asking you, Man, how are you towards your parents? If you don't respect your parents, you, you are not respecting the basic human postulate of life. The mystery of those who gave life to you and an immortal soul. You don't respect the basic things, what do I have to talk about Christianity?"_

 _"These are the ten commandments. Question yourself, your conscience. Come on. Sixth, you shall not kill. You shall not kill. I thought too that these are things from another time, but I was wrong. They are not. This century of ours knows many wars and we just started this new millennium. Not in any other time Man wasn't an endangered species as it is now. With all the declarations, the rights of Man, nowadays humanity is the most endangered species in all six galaxies! Cats and dogs have graves while people die on the streets. Today, today! Wars, that was before! We don't have to turn around! That which Man is willing to do without God, not even an animal would do. The abominable things a Man would do to another Man is something that no animal, no matter how dangerous, would do. Today, in the most civilized age, in the "age of reason", of technology, of ECHOnet, today."_

 _"But leave that! We didn't kill anyone, right? We didn't. More than few million per year are aborted just on this planet. That is the currency of the modern civilization. And you Man, you man, not just woman, you Man who aborted, who killed your child, what did you do? You killed one, right? You stopped that children of your children come to the world. Not only that, you stopped children of your children of your children to come to the world because of what you did. And if you killed one, you didn't just kill one, you said stop to God's plan! With what right?! Even better, have you ever thought that you may have killed, what could possibly be another Mozart? Another Paganini?Another Da Vinci? Another Tesla? Another saint? Another Socrates? Another Alexander the Great?"_

 _"And if you killed two or three or five, how many thousands did you stopped from coming here and possibly helping humanity? Sure, it's your choice, of course! But what about the baby? Who gives a damn about that little thing in your womb, right? So let's make pointless debates and laws to make you feel better about yourself, to make you feel less guilty and not to send you in prison like a cold-blooded murderer that you are. Who cares if that child was a result from an abuse of simply unplanned?! Remember, it could always be a new Mozart. But silly me! We are modern! You don't kill, you "plan" your family... by killing. Ironic how those same people then judge serial killers when they see them sitting on that chair in the court where they should have sit in the first place. But fear not. Don't fear this worldly judgement, fear the one that will come after your life on this world has ended."_

 _"Seventh, you shall not commit adultery. It is the best for everyone that I just skip this one. It seems to me that during confessions I shouldn't even ask about this one. Trust me, I even convinced myself. This sin is nonexistent nowadays! We are obviously pure, duh! How dare you, priest, ask me something like that, that is my intimacy! That is my human right! What are you asking me on this field?! One of our most holy gifts, our sexuality, is stomped. Just stomped. I bet that if I just mention the word sexuality, in your heads all kinds of pornography will start materializing and occupying space! All kinds of garbage but not the thing God planned for us!"_

 _"Wherever we turn, this thing is stomped down to a zero! There is not one movie without nudity, not one magazine where you won't find about intercourse! Our children are raised in pornography! And then people wonder why their twelve-year-old daughter suddenly got pregnant. Are you talking about that to your children or do you spend time in a bar wasting money on drinks that you could simply drink at home?! Ask yourself how many marriages were created out of lust. Ask yourself, then you will finally realize why is every second marriage endangered and why every two families out of three are dysfunctional. We are lucky that we even exist!"_

 _"Eight, you shall not steal. Oh... oh my God... it's stupid for me to tell you how our modern governments and corporations steal. Mostly because you know it already. But there is something else that makes me concerned; It is like demons themselves occupied our minds to the point that if someone lives and works honestly they are regarded as fools. Those who work hard to earn something honestly is a madman nowadays! Those who steal are successful! It would be better for me that someone cuts this hand instead of it stealing something. If you could plant this in your heart I would be happy. Just that! How are we going to go forward? How? The money you got by taking it from the poor is cursed. There is no blessing here. Why is this so hard to understand? Why is it so hard to be an honest man?"_

 _"Ninth, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You know, sometimes our grandmothers are, but we too, bored so let's gossip about someone. Let's make up stories about someone. And then let those people live. Come on, if you lied and made a fool of me, that's passable, but when you are going so far to make this... that you are literally ruining the life and happiness of someone... well, to quote, "it would be better for him to have a millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea". Can you believe this? Parents tell me that they place money on the table when they go out to see if their children will take them! And then the kids take the money. Why do they take the money?... well, either they are drug addicts or inspecting if their parents will lie or not. We are lying on each step we make."_

 _"You know what happens? Mother and father, for their child, who is the last one to discover the truth, know just like everyone else in the family, and they smile and they pretend and no one will tell these parents "your child is a drug abuser". You know why not? Because if someone told them the truth, they would point their nose high in the air and complain about "ruining the family's image". So it's better to save my image then help the child, let him die! Who cares about him?! But no one will tell them, you will rather place a mask over your face and pretend that nothing is happening. But you know, you will receive the same treatment you gave to others."_

 _"And tenth, you shall not covet your neighbour's wife or anything that is your neighbour's. It is truly in style to have a lover. I have a wife at home who cooks, takes care for the children, cleans the house... but she can too. If I can, she can too. You enter marriage as if it were a pact. Just a plain pact between two parties. And you woman who has no experience in such things, you are old-fashioned! Not, I don't know what, you are old-fashioned! You need to be "in"! If you want to be a normal, honest person who lives according to their faith, you are insane! But if you are like the world, then... then you are exemplary."_

 _"But why does this commandment mentions things again? One of the previous commandments was "thou shall not steal", so why mentioning things here? Why God stresses out that we need to have pure thoughts? Because of only one reason. Because it always comes up in our thoughts, right? And then we think about it. Then we dirty ourselves. Then it comes to our heart. And when it comes to the heart, you want it. And when you want it, you get it. It always starts with coming up in your thoughts."_

 _"What else should I say? These are the ten commandments. We are just on the Old Testament. Where is the New Testament? And it is not just our fault, of us priests, no. Something in you must be broken. Because you obviously didn't hit your head to the floor yet. Life still hasn't pressed youhard enough so that you could call to God and ask Him for help. If you won't by the hook, you will by the crook. Can't you see we live in some really strange times? Don't you experience it like that? Can't you see that if you return to the old, truthful values that were always the right ones, honesty, purity, trust in marriage, prayer, God, that the Enemy will take us away? You are going to point your finger and say "let him be first". No, start with yourself. Here is the chance, even to you, stranger. Start with yourself, go to the confession. You are must do it alone, I can't do it for you."_

 _"I..."_

 _"Remember, son. Most people don't know how to confess. They come to me and say how they haven't done anything wrong. They why are you coming here? Some even go to think that they are saints, yeah right. Saints were the ones who recognized the ugliness that was nested inside themselves. The closer you are to God, the more sins you have. How, you ask? If this is a glass shard, bring it closer to the light of a candle and you will notice that it is a little dirty. Bring it closer to a lightbulb and you will see how dirty it is. Bring it to the sun, Man! The closer you are to God, the more dirtiness you will see on the glass shard that is your soul. Those who claim they have no sin are far away from God. They think highly of themselves. Each of us have mud on our souls, me first, then others."_

 _"I... I am sorry. But I have to do it. If I don't... I'm sorry!"_

 _RATATATA! BANG! BANG!_

* * *

"Yes, general?" Said a voice through the Scroll.

"You were correct. He became a little more... _tamer_ than usual."

"So it is just as they told me..."

"What?"

"Listen well, general. Whatever you do, _do not_ let that pendant fall back into Mister Braylon's hands."

"W-why? Why is that improtant?"

The voice sighed. "Remember how unwell I felt when you brought it to me?"

"Yes, I do recall you mentioning that you felt a whole spectrum of negative emotions."

"Indeed. But from what we saw, Mister Braylon was able to use it to his advantage, although for a price."

"Yes. I barely felt his heartbeat."

"If he felt what I did, for all this time then..."

"Then?"

"Then it would also explain the savagery that those creatures of Grimm expressed towards him, and how he replied back."

"You think...?"

"There is a possibility that it might be hers. But my source tells a completely different story."

"Source? Different story?"

"My... "source" told me that the pendant "chose" its owner (though they said it differently) and, no matter what circumstances, it will always, always, return to him. Because, and I quote, "the time of truth has not yet come"."

"Come on, now... this is ridiculous!"

"The concept of _her_ used to be ridiculous, too. Until you got enough proof."

"So, you really think that..."

"Hmm... I have to be honest, they way they told me this information... it seems as if only half of the whole truth was told. Or none at all."

"You have doubts?"

"The whole story sounds to me like a fight between two sides, one good and one evil."

"Now you are just trying to be poetic."

"Maybe yes, maybe no. Anyway, I suggest you keep an eye on him. See if he is more willing too accept his companions."

The general sighed.

"I'll see what I can do, Ozpin."


	72. Infiltration

Alone.

Yet another day spent alone, trapped in a hospital room, forbidden to go anywhere. Time spent there was rather productive, for he could do stuff without anyone nagging him.

For one, he was able to discover why his body lacked electrolytes. Turns out that his burning hands used them as fuel. Not a problem really, because they could easily be replenished with various types of food (and Braylon was not picky). The problem lies right there, as he would need huge amounts of food to replenish them back to normal levels. One day he decided to dabble into chemistry and experiment with the liquid that gave him those powers. He found out that it didn't necessarily need electrolytes to activate. He also found out two excellent substitutes for that. One was the smelling salts, which on Remnant was a bit harder to find. The other was grinded Dust, also for inhalation. A bit dangerous, but nothing he couldn't handle.

Second, his free time was spent in, get this, praying. I believed I would never be able to associate that word with him anymore. Guess I was wrong.

Anyways, I mean that he truly felt somewhat different, as if a horrible cross was removed from the back of his _soul_ , not just body. This made him a bit philosophical, so he would spend nights looking stars and the shattered moon of Remnant, thinking about everyone and everything.

His thoughts, no matter how different between each other, would eventually return back to Pandora, back to his team at home. Not rarely came a conflict that tore his soul apart; Should he return to Pandora, a planet where he belonged, spending the rest of his days pumping lead into bandits, or... or to remain on Remnant, in another damn reality, where (and he felt bitter at that) he could... ugh... start a new life?

Yes, he was a dick, and a big one at that. And there was the fact that some thing could have been avoided, yes. And yet...

The door to his room opened. It was the headmaster who caught him sitting near the window and gazing at the sky.

"I don't belong here."

Spoken with such simplicity that Braylon never cared who the visitor was. He actually _needed_ to talk to someone that was willing to listen.

"You really think so?"

"This planet... Remnant..." He went on. "I am surprised that it actually took me so much to realize this, but I think Remnant is not the place for the likes of me."

Ozpin sat on a chair near a table, also white.

"I feel bad for saying it, but I am jealous. I am jealous of how _easy_ you have it." He turned around. "Your people... your _planet_... is as pure as a _virgin_."

Ozpin stared back, his expressionless face ever present.

"You have almost _nothing_ of what I have back at home. Massive wars, corporate masters, telescientists, bioweapons, planet destructions on almost daily basis, corrupt politicians... I just can't believe it. You people look like something out of a pre 21st century civilization or something like that. And I _fucking_ feel jealous when I see kids, yeah the irony is not lost on me, behaving like they are entitled to everything they have."

Ozpin sipped.

"Actually, when I think about it, most people take a lot of things for granted, as if they _deserve_ it. They cannot seem to grasp the possibility that everything they have is a _privilege_. The air they breathe, the ground they walk on, the pets they have, the clothes they wear, the water they drink, the food they eat. Do you know how many planets would be willing _kill_ just to get clean water? Do you know how many planets would want Grimm to be their only threat? And yet, people take these things for granted, without thinking that there might be the possibility that it was gifted to them."

"It's nice to know how... _innocent_ Remnant looks to you. But have you thought that you might have seen our planet through rose-tinted glasses, so to speak? I, for one, would barely be able to call Remnant a paradise. The situation is worse than you think. Vale is constantly facing the threat of being overrun by Grimm, Atlas is at the brink of destruction, Mistral is a fertile ground for criminals and Vacuo is not better. And we are only talking about the kingdoms. There is also the White Fang, the Grimm, the list goes on."

"I am aware of that. But I still think you have it easier. Heck, you still haven't got to the moon." Braylon turned around and returned to stare out of his window. He noticed on a roof Jaune and Pyrrha. "And then there are the _Huntsmen_." He almost seethed at that word.

"Ah, the Huntsmen... what is your opinion on them?"

"Innocent. _Way_ too innocent. They are not Vault Hunters, much less soldiers. If a war between kingdoms ever breaks out, it will be chaos." He sighed. "Someone like Rose is just not cut for this job. That optimism, that cheerfulness... breaking her would be a delicacy for a Pandorian bandit. Once that happens, I have no idea how will she turn out. Either a psycho killer or a newbie who retired before he even went to work."

"She is still a child. Let her play that part while she still can."

"And yet you made her skip two years at Signal to be here."

"Touché." He sipped again. "But believe me when I say she has the heart and soul of a warrior."

Braylon chuckled darkly. "More like a glorified insect exterminator."

"You are wrong. Miss Rose is truly a warrior. I believe she will be a great Huntress when she leaves Beacon."

"But in the end it doesn't matter what you believe if reality tells otherwise."

"And what does "reality" tell you?"

"That she is simply not fit for this job. She is carefree, she is friendly with virtually everyone, she wants to be a _hero_."

"And what do you suggest?"

"That is the point. Whatever I suggest is utterly meaningless, because it will do nothing to remove the Grimm completely. You kill one, two more take their place and the process just repeats itself over and over and over again. Huntsmen are different from normal humans simply for he fact that they are the first ones to fall into the meatgrinder. And _willingly_."

"I have to admit it. I am really old and yet few were the times when I encountered such young people with such defeatist view and yet keep their fight on."

"You are wrong on this one, Ozpin. I am not fighting. Not anymore. I am surviving."

Braylon saw as Jaune and Pyrrha went away.

"You know, Rose reminds me of me when I was younger. Damn. I could say that I was the closest thing to a clone of her as you could get. Not even loosing my parents changed that. At least not in the beginning of my career."

"Interesting. Do you feel like telling something about it?"

"There is nothing to tell. I lost my parents, found this girl who would later be my partner, swore vengeance to not just the bandits who killed them, but also to their leader, went trough crazy shit, tracked him down and blew his fucking brains out myself. I think it was my very first kill... not sure really."

"What happened next?"

Braylon sighed. "Then things slowly started getting _weird._ I went from bandit hunting to almost supernatural and sci-fi shit... until one day I found the Vault."

"Vault?"

"Eridian stuff. Hard to explain. Think of it as a storehouse that can store _everything_. From weapons to technology to God-knows-what. And they are all scattered across the galaxy."

"There are more of them?"

"The older ones claim they have evidence for it. Some kind of a galactic map."

"And you opened the first one or...?"

"Oh no, it was the fourth one. Or was it fifth? No because, I heard some rumors that a man and a woman found one before us... anyway, we had no idea what the Vault was about. The only things I am able to remember are me and my team witnessing the opening... the Vault was activated... there was some weird-looking monster with red skin, goat legs and horns... I also remember ordering my team to retreat while I stood behind and tried to kill it... a bright flash... and then I woke up in the middle of the forest on Remnant, with no idea how I got there. But Christ, my body looked like it went through one hell of a punsihment. So yeah, I really shouldn't be here."

He got up from the chair, stretched and went towards the hospital bed.

"How are you?"

"I feel better now. I dunno how to describe it, but I feel... way more calm than I used to be. There is still the bitterness, guilt and all that crap. But it's not nagging me anymore as it did these last couple of months."

"I'm glad. Now if you excuse me," Ozpin stood up. "I have to go somewhere."

"Dance?"

"Interested?"

"Not really. I am not interested in such stupid time-wasters."

"Careful now. Such nights are excellent for strenghtening bonds."

"Hmpf." He turned his head to the window. "I am capable of being on my own. I don't need others."

Ozpin smiled and closed the door.

...Alone.

Once again, he was alone. Alone with his own thoughts. No matter how much he tried to distract himself. Nothing would help him remove the thoughts that slowly devastated his health day by day. The people he killed, the losses he witnessed, the despair he had to endure.

So it didn't come to a surprise when he decided to open a drawer and change into his uniform to go for a walk. Maybe some time spent at the roof would be good for him.

He felt something strange when he entered the hallway. It was really dark, almost unnaturally, considering that normally the halls were well lit. What added to the eeriness was complete silence. The only thing he heard was his own breath.

"Okay. Do not panic. This ain't real."

Not even his attempt at a pep talk could remove the uneasiness he felt when he decided to walk foward into the darkness of the hallway. It was so dark, that he could only see few meters in front of him. And then all of a sudden he felt a really cold wind blowing in the opposite direction. How he felt it was mind-boggling, especially since his enhancements allowed him to resist cold temperatures.

He had no idea what was going on, but if he could guess, it was another one of his "attacks". Psychotic hallucinations, to be exact. Not often, but when they strike, Braylon enters in a world of hurt.

Still, this one felt too real to be a simple psychosis. Then again, all such attack feel real when they happen. The fact that he noticed how the walls and the floor changed to resemble more a cave than a hallway and how he started hearing screams in the distance didn't really help. It actually made him panic even more.

"No! No! Leave me alone!"

He now started running, covering his face with his hands. The voices got louder the longer he run. It was becoming unbearable. At one point, he slammed into something hard, making him remove his hands.

And just like that, everything went back to normal.

"...huh?" He looked around, dumbfounded. He was somwhere outside of the building, no idea where.

He calmed down, yes, but now he had a bigger question. How did he got where he was? Did anyone actually saw him in his psychotic state? Was it _really_ a psychotic state?

Casually moving his head up, he saw someone jumping from roof to roof as if running away (or somewhere?) from someone. He couldn't quite put it, but it looked like that person was a spy or something.

Moving his musings about the psychotic attack aside so quickly that it weirded even him out, he decided to stealthily follow the figure from the ground. They were going towards some kind of a giant tower. The figure dealt with the guards guarding the door and simply walked in. Some gunshots later and they were out. He felt the need to follow that intruder.

Being quite good at stealth, Braylon had no problem following his target. They ran straight towards the place where the prom dance was held, for some reason. Moreover, he felt something pushing him to keep going forward and follow the bastard, whom escaped from his sight when they turned around the corner.

* * *

The plan went better than Cinder had expected. The guards were incompetent enough for her to get free access to her main objective. If it hadn't been for the silver-eyed girl, everything would have been flawlessly executed.

"And how's your night been?"

"Hmm, a little more... exciting than expected."

"Should we be worried?"

"Hardly."

Even if she kept her pride high enough to show her partner who is the boss, Cinder still felt that something weird was going on.

"I had no idea you were the jewel type."

She raised an eyebrow before lowering her gaze at the pendant around her neck.

"I borrowed it from our good general."

He snorted. "No way. Since when does _he_ wear jewelry?"

Well, he wasn't exactly wearing it. Scratch that, the whole situation looked _really_ convenient, as if it were part of a script for a movie and they were the actors who had no idea of their roles.

She met Ironwood minutes after she ran away from the girl. He blocked her only path of escape, so she was forced to use some kind of a diversion. Using her powers, she threw several arrows at the general, who dodged all of them except one who hit his coat and ripped open a pocket. A pendant fell from it and he had no idea it even happened.

Thinking that it might be useful, she grabbed the pendant and continued her run for safety. To be sure that she wouldn't loose it, she placed it around her neck.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"You sure? You seem..."

"I said I am alright."

"Okay, okay... no need to get worked up."

"Are you suggesting I'm angry?"

Fool. What was she thinking again? Ah, she needed to hide it.

SLAM!

The music stopped playing and everyone turned their heads to the source of the newest noise, which was a door.

"Hey, isn't that-"

"Quiet."

Ah, finally. She finally had the chance to study the pest that kept annoying her. But what was he doing?

He walked forward several steps and slowly moved his head from left to right several times. Curiously, he wasn't dressed for the dance.

A golden-haired girl approached him, obviously embarrased, and tried to get his attention. But he simply didn't seem to bother even talking to her. Instead, he kept walking forward, inspecting every student present at the dance with a frown on his face. A frown threatening enough to make some take few steps back.

"Uh, why is he coming here?" Her peon whispered. She didn't answer.

After a while, he stopped, with his gaze turned to her and her lackey. Lowering his eyes, his frown softened. He walked up to her and pointed at the pendant.

"This." He said in a tone that demanded an answer. "Where did you get it?"

Other people started whispering. Had he just dared to come in front of _her_ without asking who she was? No manners whatsoever?

She smiled and placed a hand on her hip. Internally, she was scolding herself for not hiding the damn thing sooner. But from his act, it seemed that he was familiar with the object.

"And how does knowing how I got it help you?"

He didn't answer, for his response was grabbing the pendant and snatching it away from her, to everyone's surprise.

"Braylon!" The girl from earlier ran up to him. "What are you doing?!"

He stared at the pendant in his hand and then back at her.

"You take my shit once again, I will rip those eyes out of your pretty face. Got it?"

If the two of them were alone, she would turn him into a miserable pile of ash. How _dared_ he talk like that to her? She demanded respect and she would get it... in any way possible.

He frowned once again and hurriedly walked away from the place. The girl apologized to them but Cinder didn't pay attention.

"Gotta admit, though. He's got balls." Mercury said after the girl went away, wincing as he felt heat emanating from his boss.

"Not for long, Mercury. Not for long."

"Should we do something about it now?"

"Hmm... no. Let him have it. We already completed our objective. Enjoy this night, Mercury. After all..."

She closed her right wrist.

"It _is_ a party."


	73. Field Trip

**We are approaching the end of volume 2 of this fic, my dear readers. I have to say, it was way longer than I expected it to be. I seriously doubt the future volumes will be as big as this one. Anyways, let me remind you that everything that happened up to now was just a warm up. Now, with the end of volume 2, the shitstorm will commence. So take out your dicks and vaginas, cuz the next chapter is where the fun (or torture) begins.**

* * *

"What do you mean you "lost it"?!"

"I have no idea how could it happen!"

"And we are supposed to believe that?"

"Have I ever lied to any of you before? I thought so. Even if I could, there is no denying that they were here!"

"We are very much aware of that."

"Fantastic. You are aware, so what? Are we just gonna ignore what is standing right in front of us?"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Come in."

"Sorry it took so long. Someone accidentally pushed all the buttons in the elevator... it wasn't me."

"Thank you for coming, Miss Rose. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. I would feel much better if my bad-guy catching record wasn't zero for three. Hehe... Oh, so that's the tone we were going for... got it..."

"Ruby, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that you behaved like a true Huntress. You recognized a threat and you took action against it."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, the general here informed us of what happened last night. Since you are here, maybe you have something to add."

"Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar?"

"I... don't know. She wore a mask and she fought with glass. I doubt that was her semblance. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked."

"That sounds familiar to the woman I fought the night I met Miss Rose."

"Dust-infused clothing is an age-old technique. It could have been anyone."

"Wait, you think this girl is somehow connected to the White Fang?"

"It may be possible, but until we gather further proof, we cannot make any judgements."

"Actually, I think I heard her saying something about a hideout... somewhere outside the kingdom."

"Maybe she is referring to the hideout that he told us about? What do you think Ozpin?"

"I wish I knew, general. I wish I knew. Still, thank you for your cooperation, Ruby. Now why don't you go outside and spend time with your teammates? You have a big day ahead of you."

"Anytime."

"Oh, and Ruby... I would ask you to... keep quiet about this matter."

* * *

So this was it. He acquired his pendant back. Awesome, hooray, high five and all that shit.

He was laying in his bed and staring at the ceiling. The day has been quite slow and boring, so he was stuck thinking about that intruder. He came to the conclusion that he couldn't give any less of a fuck for them. As long as it didn't involve him in some way, it was no concern of his.

Weiss, Blake and Yang rushed to the door as soon as they were opened. It was Ruby, who tried her best to hold her secret or something.

Not that he cared.

* * *

"I can't send troops, Ozpin. They are too busy keeping order in the streets and playing the role of cannon fodder against whatever comes out of that damn cave. A cave that, let's remind ourselves, should not even exist according to all maps we have of Vale."

"Why must your answer to everything be a display of your military bravado? This is not a contest for measuring di-"

"Glynda!"

"Well he does."

"Maybe in other, less difficult times, I would agree with her. But now I am struggling with rather difficult decisions. Atlas is slowly crumbling and Vale is threatened by more and more Grimm each day. And then..." Ozpin pulled out his Scroll, opened it and projected a holographic picture for everyone to see. "Then there is this."

The picture showed a skinny, humanoid Grimm, seemingly so frail that it was a wonder how it even stood on its fragile, yet long, feet. It had long arms and fingers and a head shaped like that of a human. The most disturbing detail, however, was the fact that this Grimm had some purple crystals growing seemingly at random all over its body. Its eyes and mouth emitted purple glow instead of the signature red. And that haunting stare...

"One of my students sent me this several days ago. For now they encountered only one such specimen. For now."

Now the picture changed, showing another weird Grimm. It was so grotesque, that to a human eye it looked like a statue made by someone who has no idea how to sculpt in the first place. It had no neck to begin with. Rather, its head was fused to the abdomen, with only a pair of large purple eyes staring at the viewer with abnormal hatred. The stomach was split open by a gigantic, cavernous mouth that stretched from hip to hip, with teeth so large and sharp that they could easily tear a car into pieces. Compared to his feet, which were comically small and almost atrophied-looking, his arms were fat and just plain gigantic. Some purple liquid dripped from its mouth. It was monstrous, it was mountainous, it was everything _but_ Grimm.

"I received this one by another team from the fourth year, two days after I got the first one."

"My god, what could possibly happen to them that turned them into... this?"

"I am not sure. However, I hypothesize they come from the same source. It is clearly visible from several features. First, they don't look anything like a "normal" Grimm would. And second, notice the colours. These two only have black and purple, not red, black or white."

"You think they are created by someone?"

"I honestly don't know _what_ to think anymore, general. If this infiltration and these new Grimm are part of some plan that we don't know of... then I suggest to lower our boldness significantly. We cannot risk more panic."

"I served you faithfully for years, Ozpin. But if you tell me that your plan revolves around waiting for something to happen-"

"It is not! You are a general, correct? So tell me, when you prepare for war, which do you send first, the flag-bearer or the scouts?"

"This isn't a war, Ozpin! This is a display of our inability to hold even the most basic of defences! Have you wondered what would it mean for the rest of the kingdoms if Vale suddenly falls into the hands of the Grimm? What if Atlas joins the party? Let me remind you who put Vale in this situation, it was one of your very students and I guess you know who."

* * *

"That was a risky move."

"No, I think you handled it well."

"You know," Braylon sat on his bed. "if you wanted to actually be useful, you could have just _captured_ her."

"And how do you suggest she does something like that?"

"Easy, blondie. Just shoot her!"

"I can't just shoot a person!"

"You _can_. You just don't want to."

Yang growled. "I knew he would return to his default state once he gets up from that bed!"

"Anyways, as your partner, I am very pleased with your ability to handle the situation."

"Thanks Weiss."

"Yeah, unlike that douchebag over there!"

"Watch it, blondie! I had enough of your shit for one day!"

"What happened to you, Braylon?"

"I am still here, oh dear leader." He lay on his bed again and played with his pendant. "I just don't like stupid."

"Where did you get the pendant?" Blake asked.

"Didn't Yang told you?"

"But how did she got it if the general had it first?"

"Dunno and don't care."

"Hey Ruby, listen to your big sis, you did good! Relax, I know what will cheer you up!"

"What?"

Everyone, even Braylon turned their head to see Yang walking up to a table and picking some kind of cylindrical package.

"Here is something that dad sent us. I was hoping we could open it together."

Ruby got so excited that she started squealing and trying to grab the package from Yang's hand. The latter shook it slightly and something _black_ fell out of it. Braylon raised an eyebrow. He raised another eyebrow when the thing started _moving_.

"What the-" His surprise couldn't be contained anymore once the black thingy turned out to be a fucking _dog_. "The fuck? Gimme that!" He snatched the tube and stared into its depths. "Welp, I'm glad to know that Remnant likes to use British technology. Wha-AAAAH!" He suddenly got buried under lots and lots of tin cans.

"He sent a dog?"

"In a tin can?!"

"Magical tin can." Came a muffled voice under the pile. Braylon gasped when his head popped out. The dog, known as Zwei, came and quickly started licking his face. "Fuaaa- Stop! I SAID STOP! STUPID DOG!"

"He is not stupid!" Ruby quickly defended her pet as she grabbed him in her arms. "He is the best dog ever!"

"He does stuff like this all the time."

"Your father or your dog?!"

"I missed youuu!"

"Say what?" Braylon immediately butted it like an asshole (heh). "You don't really wanna keep it, right?"

"Yes I do!"

"Awesome! So now we have become PETA! Fan-fucking-tastic!" Zwei jumped down and started licking Braylon again. "FUUU! STUPID DOOOG!"

"Are you telling me this mangy, drooling, mutt..." Zwei turned his head to the heiress. "...is going to wive with us forevah? Oh yes he is, yes he is!" As if he knew, Zwei barked happily and returned to his previous job of licking the shit out of Braylon's face, who struggled to get out. "I swear to God, dog! I am gonna take a stick and shove it _waaay_ up inside your ass! WAY UP INSIDE! AND I'M GONNA USE YOU AS A GOD-DAMN SWIFFER RUG!"

"Please keep him away from my belongings, thank you."

As the public announcement was sent all over the dormitory, Braylon got out of the pile, took Zwei and slowly tiptoed away from the distracted bunch.

"Well, we can't exactly leave your dog here while we are away for a whole week."

"Look! There is a letter! "Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days. So I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang."

"What is he supposed to do with... that?" Weiss asked as Yang took out a can opener from the tin can.

"Well, that settles it. Come on girls, Zwei will be here when we get back."

"But where is Zwei?" Ruby asked innocently as everyone turned their heads to search for the missing corgi. What they found was Braylon doing something at his workbench.

"Braylon?"

"Yes?" He turned around way too quickly for it to be normal. When he caught himself holding a post stamp, he hid the traitorous hand behind his back and flashed a toothy grin. Curiously, behind him, on the workbench, stood a package with several holes...

"Have you seen Zwei?"

"No."

"Bark! Bark!"

While his eyes were locked with Ruby's, he brought a hand down on the shaking package. It wasn't enough to convince the young leader.

"Braylon?"

His smile faded and he sighed. "Fine." he turned around and opened the package. Zwei jumped out and reached Ruby in no time.

"What were you trying to do?"

"Oh you know, send him to Vacuo and such..."

"Braylon!"

"Okay! I'm sorry! Okay?! Now let's get out of here, I want to have a free weekend."

* * *

"Quiet. Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo and Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end."

Braylon couldn't help but chuckle at Ozpin's words. Just you wait when you have your first interplanetary wars, he thought.

"It was a war of ignorance, of greed and of oppression."

Like most wars, really. That isn't to say that some weren't necessary. If the world didn't unite to fight the germans back in the 20th century, everyone in the present would be a german-speaking blonde with blue eyes.

"A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom. But about the idea of individualism itself."

...What? Are these people retarded? Individualism? That fucking thing is why nowadays people calmly walk down the road and pretend they are blind when they see a man beaten up by a street gang on almost every city in the galaxy ever! But hey asshole, two can play that game... or even two trillion. Such a typical description of humanity; Constantly searching for freedom, and when it gets some, it seeks for more until it doesn't know what to do with it... and that's how new Pandora lookalikes are born. Truly, humanity wants freedom... but where is the responsibility?

"We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression."

Well, if by art he meant drawing a white line on a completely blue canvas, then Braylon (or anyone moderately sane for that matter) would gladly join in the process of purging all art from the crappy planet.

"And as you are all well aware that was something many could not stand for."

Yeah, being stupid is cool. Got it.

"As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself. Color."

" _I fucking dare you to call your son "Capitalism" in a communist country. See how prosperous his life will be..._ " Braylon thought.

"It was a way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come."

Humanity has a bad habit of learning things the hard way. Now why did the people on Earth threw not one, but two atomic bombs back then...

"And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism and unity."

Sure, go ahead. Funny, people from the 21st century fantasized about a _glorious_ future of mankind when it reached the stars it so desired... if only they were alive now...

"Through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort."

Wait, first he openly admitted that he encourages individuality but then says people need to be united? The fuck?

"Which is why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace..."

Before another war starts, mind you.

"...Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it."

In other words, we need you to sacrifice your life so that everyone else can live to see tomorrow. Sounds legit.

"As first-year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress, on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training and remember to do your very best."

Braylon scoffed while others praised the headmaster and his speech. Out of the whole team, Ruby was the most excited.

"This is perfect. All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman in the Southeast."

"In other words, do something that takes zero skill."

"You kidding me?! This takes, like, true Huntress skill and..."

"Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip at night."

"I propose to check "Search and Destroy"."

The whole team went towards a holographic screen.

"Here we go. Quadrant five needs Grimm cleared out."

"Grimm?" Braylon complained. "Why not bandits?"

"Because Grimm are the biggest problem?" Weiss asked rhetorically.

"And because it is in the Southeast?" Blake joined forces with the heiress.

"Ugh. Fine! Just don't be surprised if I fall asleep mid-slaughter."

Ruby inserted the team name and got a cute little message that basically said "fuck off newbie". Braylon did an internal victory dance.

"Wonderful."

"Any ideas?"

"We can just mail ourselves there."

"Well that's one option." Ozpin Ex Machina appeared. "Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students." He raised his head from the screen and frowned at Braylon. "I'm afraid that goes even beyond your experience, Mister Braylon."

"Bullshit. I can totally kill a hundred of them without breaking a sweat."

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, sure you would."

And just like that, they immediately butted heads.

"Was that a challenge?"

"No, that was a fact."

"It would have been if I had blond hair like you."

"My hair is beautiful compared to yours! Ever heard of a comb?"

"Ever heard of scissors?"

Others observed their little dick/vagina measuring contest until Ozpin started his talk again.

"I'm still curious as to how you all foudn yourselves at the docks last semester. I am also interested about how one of your teammates "learned" about the secret hideout. And who could forget that one time when the witnesses claimed that a bar was completely devastated, which was followed soon after with the devastation of a whole building. But I doubt I will find the exact answers I'm looking for. So how about this? Instead of breaking the rules, why not bend them a little?"

"We won't let you down. Thank you professor."

Ozpin briefly glanced at Braylon and frowned slightly before answering back. "Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand, that things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times. And do exactly as he says. Understood?"

Braylon and Yang calmed down at turned their heads at the opposite sides like immature children they were.

"The same rules apply to you too, Mister Braylon." He said, gaining the latter's attention. "Do not underestimate the threat that the Grimm pose. There is a reason why they are humanity's worst enemy."

"Hmpf. A Borok pup is more though than those things."

"I won't pretend that I understood what you meant, but please be careful. Do not, I repeat, do not leave the Huntsman in charge."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go already."

"I wish you good luck then, team RWBBY. You are going to need it."

As team RWBBY walked out of the hall, Braylon took out his pendant and stared at the red crystal. He could see a reflection staring back at him. But there was something wrong with said reflection. For starters, there was a look that resembled hatred mixed with rage and it seemed to be directed at him for some reason.

Of course, the other thing was a slight hunch/thought that the reflection wasn't actually a reflection, but more like something that looked like him and could barely contain its joy for the massive dick that Braylon was about to get right into his ass...


	74. Preparations

**Ladies and gentlemen, it is finally here. The moment I was awaitng for ever since I started this story. In fact, it was (and still is) one of my primary motivators! I'm sorry that it took so long. I needed to organize it all inside of my head.**

 **So what can you expect from this arc... well, there will be fights and carnage, that's for sure. You can also expect new equipment and, most of all, more brutality. How much it will last is still unknown, but what I know is that this arc will mark the end of volume 2 of the story.**

 **As for when the chapters will come out, I am not really sure. Since I need to plan (lol) a lot for this arc,**

 **it means that it will probably take more than a week, just like this one.**

 **Now I'll stop talking and leave you alone. So sit back and enjoy the first chapter of this arc: Preparations!**

* * *

 _"Now, kiddo. Come here. Uncle Daniel has something to teach ya."_

 _"You see, evil works slowly and perfidiously, and I am not talking about bandits peeling your skin off your face. I wanna talk about another, more sinister danger of evil."_

 _"That thingy on your arm... say, makes you smart, right?"_

 _"Yes. I... actually know stuff I never knew before."_

 _"Then you surely know what is inculturation? I know, I know, big word, but bear with me."_

 _"Sure... it was a centuries-old method used by missionaries to spread the faith they represented by assimilating a culture and then introducing their religion... I have no idea what I just said."_

 _"Good, good. Now listen up. Ya see, evil uses the very same method used by faith-lovers. It slowly slips into this, this culture, this race and... yeah ok, that dumb look on your face already told me everything. Ugh... maybe if I put it like this..."_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"There is only one goal of evil, which is to bring everyone down with it, on big and little doors, persistently and tirelessly, with and without our knowledge. It worms its way into your house, your...ugh... heart your whatchamacallit – the point is- evil has two main strategies. The first one is more frequent. It simply stays in the background until the deed is done, only for then to show its face. If that happens, you are fucked. Emotionally. Don't get any ideas."_

 _"The second, less conventional way, is for evil to show itself right in front of you. Now if that happens, you better run as far away as your tiny legs can carry you. Because if evil goes with this strategy, you can bet your ass it has a very good reason to do so. I say "fuck it". Get the picture now?"_

 _"I guess... but can I ask you one thing?"_

 _"Not now kiddo, gotta drink."_

 _"Please."_

 _"Fine... shoot."_

 _"What if this... evil... what if it uses both strategies at the same time? What then?"_

 _"Then you better pray you left a bullet in that shiny revolver of yours."_

* * *

" _The day has come, mortal!_ " The three familiar voices said in unison. " _Today the curse will finally strike you down! Today you will discover things you never thought possible! Today is the day your enslavement ends!_ "

"STOP TALKING!" He roared loudly as he opened his eyes only to see one unhappy Oobleck in front of him.

"Mister Braylon, may I know the motive for this verbal assault of yours?"

"Huh? No I was..."

"Detention!"

"Son of a-"

"Detention! Two days!"

Braylon facepalmed and ground his teeth together in rage. The damn voices kept shouting in his mind. It hurt so much. Then this asshole came and poured some more salt on the wound.

Not caring about the conversation, he took the pendant and placed it around his neck. For some reason he decided to stare some more into the red crystal. It gave him goosebumps.

He had to admit, that "warning" kinda made him feel uneasy. It's not every day you get the chance to hear three voices in your head screaming contemporarily about curses and shit. So it is only understandable that a person like Braylon would be creeped the fuck out.

A thin robotic hand flashed a thumbs up from the pilot seat. The nerd-hipster hybrid felt the need to act like a father.

"Remember students! Mountain Glenn is crawling with Grimm. There can be potential death around every corner, so be sure to stay near me at all times. Understood?"

Everyone minus Braylon nodded. Oobleck frowned. The Vault Hunter rolled his eyes and nodded too.

"Good! I count on you, team RWBBY!"

The airship engines started whirring in descent. When they landed, the pilot spoke up.

"Thank you for flying with Pilottrap! I hope you enjoyed your ride!"

No one commented. Instead, they were more focused on the environment in which they willingly took a step.

The sight was for Braylon, to say the least, kinda sad, but not unknown. Although, the same exact feeling appears every single time. That slight heartache that slowly sips despair into your very self as you get yet another reminder that evil always catches one unprepared.

All buildings were incomplete state of disrepair, with some even showing their metallic skeletons. The strong wind blew through the streets, making eerie howls reminiscent to that of monsters or animals. Few plants here and there were the only green thing in this sea of greyness, concrete and metal.

"Ladies!... and gentleman... you may still be students, but your first mission as a Huntress and Huntsman has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I said!"

"And if we don't?"

"Then I'm afraid you will meet your death at the hands of the Grimm, Mister Braylon. We don't want that now, would we?"

"Sure, sure."

"Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all your bags back to school!"

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet... so I didn't."

Braylon was bored to death with how slow those snails were, so he decided to move his head around for his eyes to check this "greatest failure of our kingdom". He squinted when he saw something, a shadow of sorts, quickly zipping into an alleyway that divided two buildings down the road. A hand grabbed his arm before he even made a step.

"Don't even think about it. You are coming with us." Of course it had to be blondie. "And you will stay near me, got it?"

"Okay, mum."

"Good." Just to frustrate him more, she smiled and ruffled his hair. "Mommy likes when her son is a good boy!"

"Gah! Fuck off!"

"Detention! Three days!"

"God damn it!" Yang placed a hand to block his mouth.

"Do you want the Grimm to find us?"

"Hm-hm!"

Yang rolled her eyes.

"Bark! Bark!"

Braylon's eyes widened.

"Genius!"

"You brought Zwei?"

"I couldn't leave him back at school, Yang! He would feel lonely and sad and..."

"Hehe... it's fine! I'm so happy that my sis has such a big heart... unlike some people..." She deadpanned and turned her eyes towards Braylon, who had already developed 145 632 plans that focused on removing that stupid dog from existence.

"Ah, yes! Straight to the chase! I like it!" Oobleck yelled. Who wanted to attract the Grimm again? "As you have been informed, the Southeast area has been marked as a recent hotspot of Grimm activity. Now there may be possible several rational arguments that could explain this behaviour of the Grimm. One of them being... Grimm."

"Uh, what?"

"Grimm. Lots of creatures of Grimm approximately hundred yards from us at this very moment."

"What?!"

ARROOO!

Indeed, there were many Grimm, mostly Ursae and Beowolves, all growling as if they were rabid. None of them wasted any time and they immediately rushed towards human meat, who replied in kind... except Braylon. Again.

To him, Grimm were boring and non-threatening. As he killed several Beowolves with exactly one revolver bullet between their eyes, his mind returned back to the shadow he saw earlier, which he swore to himself that he saw it again. So he used the commotion to slowly slip away, like a snake that he was.

* * *

This was the third (fourth?) street he had passed and the distance between the two hadn't changed a bit. It looked like whenever Braylon made a step closer, it would slip away for that one step. It irritated him to no end. Moreover, now he had no idea where the fuck he was, leading him to doubt that it might have actually its intention. Why though?

He looked around, ignoring the many calls he got from each of his teammates.

And then the area started feeling... colder.

"Hehehehe..." A ghastly laugh reached his ears. "Look what we have here..."

He turned around, noticing something slowly rising from the ground like a ghost. And the more it rose, the more Braylon had the displeasure to see what exactly that thing was.

It looked completely unnatural (duh), starting from the pinkish, almost human-like, skin, which was only visible on the hands and... the faceless, bald, oval-shaped head. It wore some kind of red ceremonial robes (which was extended down to the ground, completely covering the possibly-nonexistent legs) with strange black symbols written all over them. Note that rope tied around the "hips" with several tiny dolls with nooses around their necks hanging from it.

The unnerving detail was the fact that it looked so _fake,_ almost like a doll. The hands looked more like cartoonish gloves and the lips, the only thing present on the head, were pinkish and plump, stuck to constantly resemble a U-shaped smile. Then there was the fact that the already-known type of fear reappeared...

"My, my... a mortal." It spoke with a high-pitched voice, almost designed to annoy the listener, but spoken as if it were sad and happy at the same time, also fake as shit. "Tehehehehehehe... and not just _any_ mortal."

"Who are you?"

It lifted itself from the ground slightly and invaded his personal space as soon as he blinked.

"Didn't you get the memo?" The voice sounded even creepier when it was used in a whisper. "Hahaha!" It returned to its place. "You know, it's so rare for me to have a conversation with a living mortal... mostly because I convince them to end their miserable lives. Your race is especially good at that! Hehehehe! You should see them flying off a building! Priceless!"

As it laughed, Braylon could see the toothless mouth opening, but never leaving that sick U-shaped smile.

"So I guess you are here to finish the job that others couldn't?"

It laughed even more.

"What's so fucking funny?!" He roared as he sprinted forward with the intent of stabbing the Holo Sabre went straight through the body as if were air. This seemed to amuse it, as it continued to taunt the Vault Hunter, talking and flying all around him.

"You humans are very simple-minded creatures." He swiped and missed. "It's so easy to fool any of you." Once again. "You think all of this is yours?" And again. "Think again." Another fail. "Nothing is yours. Not even those meat shells." You know the drill. "Don't believe me? Then how come you don't know how and when you will "die"?"

Being finally satisfied, it distanced itself from him.

"Hehehe! Truly, you can't even realize that you own your bodies as much as a child owns a land when his father gives him the titular command, under the rule of an older brother. What makes it funnier is the child's thinking that he really owns the land and everything that grows on it in the same way he owns the floor of his room!"

"You came here to fight or to provoke me?!"

"Ah, everything in its due time. As for me, I will be on my way. It seems that someone wants to give you a warm welcome. Hehehe!"

"Wait, you can't fly away! I won't allow it!"

"Hehehe... then try and stop me. If you can survive the attack, that is."

As it flew away, Braylon noticed at the corner of his eye an Ursa Major. Turning the head, and he saw a few young-looking Beowolves following behind the bigger Grimm.

"You think they will stop me from finding you?!" He shouted. As if on cue, the Grimm growled and attacked.

"COME GET SOME!"

* * *

"I swear! I am so gonna punch his face when we find him!"

"Yang! Calm down!"

"Calm down?! Sis, he used the Grimm just so that he could escape! That sneaky little..."

"I'm afraid we can't do anything at the moment, ladies. We can only hope that Braylon is safe and free of any danger."

"Free of danger? Braylon? Bah! He is a walking doom magnet!" Yang complained as she punched a wall. "This is so wrong... why does he keep pushing us away like that? And after he apologized? I know that he may be an ass, but..." She turned around. "Does none of you feel this way? We were always there for him when he needed, no matter how much he tried to distance himself from us. But when was he when we needed? This is just unfair!"

"If I may..."

"Doctor?"

"I've seen people like him many times in my life. Almost all of them share the same personality. They all had a life that made them think they were monsters of some kind that needed to stay away from others, which in turn made their situation worse. It is a road travelled by many, which ultimately leads to self-destruction. Some can be helped. Others... not."

"Maybe I am not aware of how hard his life was, but so was everyone else's! We all have problems and we are still talking and having fun! He..."

"I understand, Miss Xiao Long. I promise that, should we find him, I will have a conversation with him as soon as possible. But now we must hurry."

"Thank you, doctor Oobleck."

* * *

Jumping out from the intricate labyrinth made of ruined buildings, our Vault Hunter tried to follow the mysterious being that taunted him. Many Grimm along the way tried to stop him, many Grimm died. Their deaths were not in vain, as it gave him the boost needed to continue his hunt. Although for some reason, deep down, he felt as if all of this comedy was just one big trap for a fool like him.

So he ended on a wide road, perhaps the widest one he saw ever since he jumped out from that Bullhead, right? He felt like searching around for any clues as to where did the thing go.

"Come on, where are you hiding, you son of a bitch?" He muttered.

At one point he thought about giving up. There was, however, one part of him that wanted to track down that creature just so see what it tried to hide from him. That fear he felt always meant some kind of trouble for him ever since he arrived on Remnant. He also wanted to know how did every single one of them act like they knew him and yet he was the only one who felt confused as all hell.

Then he heard a grunt.

It wasn't far from his position, just little further down the road. He was stunned when he identified the source of that noise.

It was tall, maybe a head taller than him, pitch black humanoid with purple crystals, crystals he recognized, sticking out of its back. It had large hands and legs, which were as thin as its body. The second Braylon's eyes caught it picking up a pile of junk with both hands, the head snapped towards him, staring back with two completely purple eyes.

It started shaking violently, opening its cavernous mouth and letting out a low-pitched scream. Poof! Another specimen appeared. And another, and another...

And another...

Before Braylon had any idea about what was going on, he found himself in front of twelve very angry monsters that kinda resembled Grimm but minus the white exoskeletons.

It made him angry.

"I don't have time to waste on you clowns! Step the fuck aside!" He yelled at the monster mob. "Fuck! Alright! You won! I will rip you to pieces!"

It made him really angry.

* * *

( **AN:** Play "Symbiotic", OST by Plutonia Revisited.)

One of them teleported and lunged as soon as it appeared. Braylon stabbed its abdomen with Holo Sabre and pulled it towards the right hip, splitting it apart. Purple blood rushed out of the wound that proved to be fatal. He noted how easy it could be killed, even for a Grimm.

Two more teleported, one to the left and one to the right. Braylon stabbed the one on the right and blew the brains out of the left one with his Unforgiven.

Now it was Braylon's turn. With his Cerastes, he jumped and squished one of the creatures, sending purple blood everywhere. He then materialized Vulcannon and sprayed the group with fire hot enough to melt most metals known to man. Some of them were intelligent enough to teleport away before they could share the fate with their fallen comrades. The power he felt radiating from the pendant felt great.

After he was done with ripping an attacker's arm off (and beating its ex-user to death with it), he materialized Boreas and fired a rocked at two more of these Grimm-like fucks, which exploded into tiny little chunks of meat.

No matter what he did, more of them kept appearing. Soon the whole area was covered with them, so he had to run away to get some breathing space.

After running down several roads, Braylon spotted a rather weird thing. It was a corpse of someone who looked like they decided to go on an adventure with nothing but tools made of copper complete with a freaking _drill_ stuck into their stomach laying near a garbage can. It was so brutal that he had to stop and marvel at the sight. Or better, he stopped to inspect the bloodstained drill.*

It looked like one of those drills that you see on machines used for mining, only smaller. But after a closer inspection, Braylon noticed that it was no normal mining tool; Thin, long and sharp for _manual_ use. And when I say manual, I mean impaling stuff with it instead of using a simple fist.

He picked it up by putting the right hand in the appropriate place and pressed the trigger. It felt so powerful that his hand started vibrating.

WHIIIRRR!

"Holy shit."

And it looks like he received an equally convenient chance to test its power, since one of those things teleported right in front of his face. He instinctively went for the head. The tip of the drill went right through the side of its skull and ended up on the other. It made Braylon shit in his pants. It also surprised him when he tried to pull it out only to activate the trigger. No further description needed.

Fuck! It was his new uniform! Now it was covered in purple blood, god damn it!

"GRRARGH!"

Braylon activated the drill and impaled the next beast that dared to show itself. Clenching his teeth, he kept the drill active while lifting it upwards slightly so that the impaled body could receive even more damage, all the while it screaming in pain. Removing the drill, Braylon let it drop on its knees before kicking its head, which exploded upon contact.

"Anyone else?! Come on!"

Right as he spoke, a whole group of them showed up, completely surrounding him.

He materialized his Mining Laser and fired several shots, setting at least five of them on fire or killing them instantly. Swapping the laser weapon for his heavy machine gun, he killed some more, with each bullet either turning them into colanders or outright tear chunk after chunk of their flesh. Because not one of them evaporated, the whole place looked like a slaughterhouse in the open.

This was becoming absurd. The more he killed them, the more they appeared. No matter how much he froze, burnt, electrocuted, blew up or mutilated, they would just be replaced and ready for action.

The ground started shaking right after he tore both arms away from another ballsy attacker. Its cries of pain were quickly outgrown by a much deeper, monstrous roar.

"GRAAARGH!"

The crowd scattered, making space for the major leaguer that had shown up.

It was, quite possibly, the ugliest thing that had the displeasure of existing. A deformed giant with a gigantic-ass mouth where it shouldn't belong, which is on the stomach. The normies seemed to fear it, suggesting it might have been a badass.

"What are you looking at?! You want a piece of me?! Bring it on, fat fuck!"

The badass roared before opening its mouth and showing its right fist into it. Yeah, it might have been slightly retarded.

Nope! It seemed to grab something and... oh, ew... that something turned out to be a pile of some purple goo. And it threw it at him!

Braylon had to sprint and jump just so that he could (barely) go out of range of that contaminating stuff. It didn't stop the creature from trying again.

"Hey! You keep doing that, I will rip your mouth apart!"

It didn't listen.

"Have it your way then! Here I come!"

Braylon waited for the perfect opportunity to reach the fat bastard. Grabbing it by the lower lip, he pulled as hard as he could, ripping the flesh in two. He was quickly rewarded with purple intestines falling down on him. Enraged, he materialized Boreas, loaded four rockets into the barrel and fired. The explosion tore its body horizontally, with even more gore falling around the place.

Seeing that their major leaguer was dead, the surviving monsters fled as quickly as they could, far away from the new apex predator, who decided to hunt down the slowest individuals just to satisfy his urge to spill blood.

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

* * *

"We are going to settle down. Weiss, Blake and Yang, you three set up a campfire. Ruby and I will secure the perimeter."

Having said that, Oobleck urged Ruby to follow him. She wished she could share the dog's blissful happiness.

"Doctor Oobleck? Why did you become a Huntsman?" Was her opening line for a conversation.

"Look around. What do you see?"

"Uh, ruins? Empty streets?"

"I see lives that could have been saved. You see, as a Huntsman, I have the duty to protect people with my life. And although I could do that with traditional methods, I believe I am more useful if I use my mind. Remember Ruby, knowledge is the greatest power of them all."

Oobleck, seeing the worried look on Ruby's face, knew what he needed to say.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that Braylon is alive and without a scratch."

She cringed. "Not exactly helping there..."

"I am not aware of his potential, but if he is truly as skilled as he claims, then I believe him. Although..."

"Although?"

"Although the concentration of Grimm in the area makes it less of a possibility for him to save himself."

"I... I just wish that he stops being so stubborn sometimes."

"You can't help people if they don't wish to help themselves, Ruby."

Hearing a quiet murmur around the corner, Oobleck raised a hand to stop Ruby from moving. He placed a finger near his lips and crouched near the wall. Ruby did the same.

Oobleck decided to take a sneak peek at what he presumed to be a Grimm. When his eyes spotted the creature, he couldn't help but frown. The fact that the Grimm, somehow, snapped its head precisely towards his position, as if it knew that he was there all along, ruined his mood even more.

"It saw us!"

"GRAARGH!"

Ruby jumped forward and decided to slice the Grimm in half. She received a bitter surprise when the creature simply teleported few meters backwards.

"Huh?"

"GIIARGH!"

Moreover, it picked up a piece of concrete and tossed it towards a still stunned Ruby. If it weren't for the good doctor, who tackled her to the ground, she would feel lots of pain.

As she fell, she snapped out of her shocked state and quickly fired a shot at the hostile monster, replacing the right hip with a huge hole.

It took a step back, stunned by the shot. Oobleck used the opportunity to smash his bat at the taller being's head, sending it to the ground with a loud thud.

"Is it dead?" She asked.

"Quite possibly. But just in case, don't lower your guard."

The ever-curious doctor decided to crouch so that he could examine this previously unseen Grimm.

"Fascinating..." He said loudly as he dipped a finger into the pool of purple blood. "Not once in my life I've seen a Grimm similar to this. _If_ it is a Grimm."

"Hm? It is not a Grimm?"

"You see, Grimm follow certain... patterns, for the lack of a better word. Almost all known types have animalistic traits, along with having the same colour code; which is white, black and red. And let's not forget that they evaporate upon death and gain intelligence as they one seems to deviate from those traits. A mutant perhaps?"

"Whoa..."

"This one showed remarkable intelligence, being capable of using the environment as a weapon, a trait that a "normal" Grimm would develop with age."

He took out his Scroll and started typing something into it.

"But what confuses me are the purple crystals that seemingly grow out of its head. Symbiosis? Parasitism? What could it possibly be?" He then spotted something else. "Hm? And what is this?"

The veteran Huntsman noticed something greenish slightly sticking out of the wound in the abdomen, so he took out a small knife from his kit and carefully sliced the wound. Slowly showing a hand into the Grimm's insides, while Ruby tried not to puke, Oobleck picked up a spherical object slightly bigger than a fist.

"What is that, professor?" Ruby barely breathed.

Oobleck frowned.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Braylon's search eventually brought him to the very outskirts of the abandoned territory. A few roads ahead, and he would definitely step into the forest. But for now, he was currently walking on a bridge, casually looking the road below him (which lead to an intersection not far away from him) and searching tirelessly for the wretched monster that caused him so much trouble.

The lack of buildings unnerved him. The whole area gave off the feeling of a work in progress location, because there were only a few of those randomly scattered here and there. It must have been stopped when the Grimm attacked.

Remnant's moon was high in the sky and darkness took over the lands. It was becoming increasingly harder spotting a casual Grimm or two waiting for an ambush every two meters, but it was nothing that couldn't be handled. After all, he had natural night vision... and his glowing pendant.

Just when he was about to settle down for the night, he saw it again. The faceless monster stood near a building in the distance, waving at him. If it hadn't been for a flash at the top of said building, making him hide behind the wall of the bridge, he would have to chase it down. Now, why did he decided to take cover?

SBRANG!

A sniper. That's why.

And not just any sniper, mind you. A sniper with a good-quality Jakobs rifle, if the hole in the concrete was any indication. His PDA picked up a call.

"Five-One, I found the target."

"Copy that, Six-Four. Did you kill him?"

"Negative, Five-One. Target took cover. Repeat, target took cover."

"Sending Alpha team at your location. Do not give him the chance to retaliate."

"Roger."

" _Of fucking course it had to be Dahl soldiers. Of. Fucking. Course!_ "

BANG!

SBRANG!

"Fuck!" he cursed as the bullet tore away a small portion of the wall. Since he didn't want to alert the oncoming wave of soldiers, Braylon materialized Omni-Cannon and decided to return the favour. He really needed to kill that sniper before it became a pain in the ass, so he crawled few meters forward while sticking to the wall, breathed in some fresh air and suddenly jumped out.

Thanks to the flash he saw earlier, Braylon knew already where the sniper was. All he needed to do was to look through the scope and press the trigger.

PEW!

The sniper was dead.

And just in time! The cavalry arrived and opened the concert with their diverse clarinets, either semi or fully automatic.

Damn, those guys certainly didn't save lead, which meant that they were trying to fuck him either from behind or sideways.

Sideways it was. Just as materialized the Damned Cowbody, he saw a shadow slowly creeping up from behind a pile of rubble. The calf head that wanted to play peek-a-boo got his brains spilled all over the ground.

RATATATA!

For fuck's sake! The air was becoming way hotter than he intended. Problem was that he had nowhere to go because that would mean to go out in the open. And with that amount of lead they were wasting, it certainly wouldn't happen soon.

Since he was unable to return fire without risking his skin, Braylon went for a plan B, which involved materializing Boreas and swapping it to grenade launcher mode.

He reloaded the gun with Dark Green (aka Poison) Dust ammo and set the grenades to MIRV. After doing so, he emptied two full magazines of grenades by randomly throwing them in an arc from behind his cover, hoping to reduce their numbers.

His ears picked up the cries and gasps of the soon-to-be-dead soldiers as they inhaled the poison which sneaked into their suits.

"Five-One! Five-One! We are retreating! Repeat, we are retreating!"

"Negative Alpha team! By leaving the area you will be labelled as deserters, do not leave the area!"

"With all due respect, sir! But I won't die of poison like a bitch!"

"Motherfucker!"

Ooo. Someone was getting salty.

"You hear me, you son of a bitch?" Came a voice from his PDA. "I know you can, so listen up, asshole. I know very well who you are, Vault Hunter. And frankly, I don't give a damn. Even if you turn out to be Satan in disguise, I will send your ass to the afterlife for what you did back at the Vault."

"Care to remind me?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? You caused the Vault to malfunction, tossing us in this piss-stain of a planet, and you still want to be a smartass?"

"I don't even know who you are!"

"I am someone who will avenge Admiral Patterson." The connection ended there.

"Guy was a nutcase! And so are you for following him!" He answered in vain.

The area seemed to be clear of both Dahl ass-kissers and poisonous clouds. Only the corpses of the fallen remained to litter the place. He would have gone looting every single one of them, but he stopped when he heard an engine of a machine going louder and louder, as if it were approaching him. No amount of prepping could stop his eyes from almost popping out and the jaw to hit the floor at the sight of what exactly came.

"Dear God..."

Saying that it looked like a tank is not far from the truth, because it actually was a tank. Thing is, this tank wasn't designed to look short and bulky. It was almost double the size of a regular city bus, with light to medium plating. Why so long? Because of the fucking gigantic weapon it carried on top of itself. Unlike a regular tank with a long, yet thin, cannon, this bad boy had a gargantuan double-barreled turret with a metallic grid at the opposite side. The barrels themselves were short but large, kinda like a sawed-off shotgun. At each end of the tank stood two smaller turrets capable of shooting or tossing landmines. Ladies and gentlemen, the VEKTOR. One of Dahl's most powerful war toys to ever exist.

This was really disturbing for Braylon, who still stared like a child when he first sees something like that. He had no idea what approach he should take. Better yet...

"Five-One, Five-One, this is Eagle Four-Nine. We reached the designated location, do we proceed with the attack?"

"Affirmative, Four-Nine. Use maximum power, I want his roasted ass on a silver plate."

"Sir yes, sir. Loading maximum power. Cannon ready."

Having heard that, the Vault Hunter said "fuck it" and started running away from the bridge as fast as he could while VEKTOR prepared for the attack.

The barrels were pointed at the bridge, humming louder and louder with each minute.

"Fire!"

KA-FWBOOM!

Everything alive in a radius of a kilometre had the pleasure to experience the very first artificial sunrise on Remnant. As the bright light illuminated the area, to the point that it outshined the moon, and the cannons roared with enough noise to wake up half of the continent, Braylon felt a wave of heat at his back before he was thrown several meters into the air like a ragdoll, completely depleting his Shield, a side effect of the shot.

VEKTOR missed the target, but Braylon still received some light bruises and injuries from the fall and heat. So if he got injuries, but wasn't relatively far away from the shot, then what about the scenery? What happened to the scenery?

The answer is very simple. For starters, the bridge was gone. It was completely pulverized. Not even a piece of concrete remained that would prove its existence. Parts of the roads were melted and fuming, the junk was scattered and a distant, ruined skyscraper, which was in the line of fire turned into a molten pile of metal and concrete. Everything else that couldn't escape succumbed to the same fate.

Were these guys fucking insane?! They wanted to level the damn wasteland just to get his ass?

"Five-One, Five-One. Target neutralized. Repeat, target neutralized."

"Stand by, Four-Nine."

"Sir?"

"There is no way he would die like that. Inspect the area while the cannons are cooling off. If you see him, fire."

"Copy that. VEKTOR will now explore the area."

They didn't see him. Good. Ouch...

Well, the good news was, he was alive. That's a start. Now he knew that the bastards were ready to bet big money just to kill him, meaning that, if he wanted to disable the tank, he had to do it ninja-style, now made possible because they started moving.

Sneaking from place to place, Braylon tried to get closer to the vehicle, with no results at first. At one point, Braylon decided to predict its movements to get ahead. As it turned around the corner, Braylon jumped and grabbed the turret by the hot grids. From there, he jumped down on the tank, opened the door silently and jumped right in, catching the personnel in surprise.

Picking up Unforgiven, he fired four shots, one for each person. As he killed the first three, the fourth one managed to push a button before losing his brains on the console.

"Fuck." Braylon cursed, realizing what the guy just did.

He called for reinforcements.

"I don't have time for this crappy comedy of yours! I'm a busy man!" He complained to the corpses as he quickly got out of VEKTOR.

"That was strike three, Vault Hunter. I'm gonna teach you to never mess with Dahl military."

Braylon sighed as he looked at the PDA. "What now?"

"Now... we get serious."

Raising his head, the young Vault Hunter noticed something in the sky descending really fast. It was metallic... and huge...

BOOM!

The ground shook as a large Dahl mecha stomped the ground. It bore resemblance to a Dahl power suit, with few key differences. The arms and legs were blocky and bulky while the abdomen area was also heavily armoured. All in all, a seven meters tall giant ready to ruin your day.

"Vault Hunter!" Roared a voice from the mecha's speakers. "Say hello to Satan when you get to Hell!"

"Bah! You think you can scare me with that?! You clearly don't know me enough!"

Both sides prepared for battle, ready to throw everything they had into the fight. But as they were about to start, the faceless being appeared above the mecha, now with a black aura surrounding its body. The mecha didn't move an inch.

"Hey! What's going on?! Why this damn thing won't move?!" There was a loud scratching noise before the speakers were made inoperable.

"Mortal!" The faceless shouted. "Hehehe! I knew you would follow me!"

Braylon growled.

"In fact, it was important for you to do so! You couldn't just leave a being like me roaming around, without getting some answers first, yes? Hehehe! Fool! If only you knew what awaits you! But enough talk! I got you where I wanted, so it is time to start... playing."

As it giggled, the faceless slowly descended towards the mecha, seemingly merging with its metal. Once he completely disappeared, the mecha was surrounded with the same black aura as it twitched violently. Something unthinkable was happening right in front of his eyes.

The metallic plating slowly started changing colour from camo to dark green as hundreds of bulges grew all over the robot. A pair of horns grew on top and parts of the armor that covered the limbs became living red flesh. The transformation was complete when the abdomen of the robot was split open by a huge mouth filled with sharp teeth and a long, snake-like tongue, along with the bulges bursting open, revealing monstrous eyes. The newly created monster roared with such might that the earth shook like a leaf.

" **Welcome to your death!** "

It roared before releasing a burst of visible orange energy.

* * *

 **New item acquired!**

* **Worldbreaker**

\- " **Better hope you don't survive the first round." - Greatly increased melee damage at the cost of attack range.**

 **\- Melee weapon**

 **\- Works outside of Remnant**

 **\- 300% melee damage**

 **\- Ignores armor**


	75. The Descent

**Guest: Holy moly! My first hater! Congratulations to me, I guess. Empty victory but still a victory! Good riddance!**

 **Now that we had dealt with trash, let's get down to the real business. Here is the second chapter, continuing the story of the first. Once again, I aplogize for the long wait. Life and stuff...**

 **Reviews would be appreciated.**

* * *

 _"Oh! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice deceiving." - Sir Walter Scott_

* * *

( **AN:** Play the boss theme of Yhorm the Giant, from Dark Souls 3.)

Such explosive release of energy killed everything alive in its path. Grass became scorched earth and those few trees alive became charred versions of their former selves. As for Braylon, it caught him off-guard and slammed into the side of the VEKTOR. That was the least of his problems, as he felt a painful, burning sensation all over his body and yet he had no visible injury. It felt like being drowned in pitch and set on fire.

 **"Mortals never learn, do they?!"**

The visible sharp teeth of the mechanical beast were divided, revealing a gigantic, cavern-like mouth that shouldn't even be possible. The faint reddish light coupled with orangish smoke gave it the appearance of a pit, out of which several horned, burning skulls flew out, one after another, orbiting around the larger being.

Cringing, the young Vault Hunter slowly got up just so that he could see one of the mentioned skulls flying right towards him. Who knows what would happen had he not held his revolver and fired two shots, outright destroying it.

" _What do I do now? How do I kill such a thing?_ "

A bead of sweat ran down his face. He officially doubted his skills to kill the beast that posed a serious threat to him. The only way to discover a solution was to use everything he got, so he materialized Boreas, loaded it with normal ammo, looked through the scope and fired four rockets. The burning skulls immediately located them and went full kamikaze.

"What the-?"

 **"The only thing that you all deserve is _death_!"**

The mechanical beast slammed its right leg into the ground. As soon as it did that, dozens of crimson lines spread all over the area at random. Those same lines burst into giant walls of fire seconds later. And while Braylon dodged a direct hit, he still felt the heat emanating from them. It was worse than being in the desert in the middle of the day.

To make matters worse, few burning skulls passed right through them, catching him by surprise. One managed to ram itself into his chest with the power that rivalled a speeding train, throwing him on the ground.

It looked down on him with those glowing as it screeched, ready to strike again.

"Fuck you!" Braylon returned in kind as he materialized his Bullpup and fired a shot. The skull exploded, leaving behind only a high-pitched, echoing scream. The remaining three met the same fate just as the fire died down. Now the beast had no cannon fodder to use for cheap defence, meaning that he could, hopefully, land a hit. So he took out Boreas again and fired the remaining rockets in the magazine. The beast simply took the heats. As the smoke cleared, Braylon found it had no effect whatsoever.

 **"Just who do you think is responsible for turning all mortal's existence into a one big farce? Who else could achieve what we could? Worm."**

It opened its mouth again. This time though, there was no glow, just one large, empty hole... that started sucking everything in! A mini black hole!

With the strength that could easily outmatch any tornado known to man, the beast started sucking in everything. From rocks to chunks of buildings.

"Oh fuuuuuuuck!" Braylon shouted as he desperately tried to turn around and run, only to be tossed backwards.

By grabbing a piece of iron that stuck out of some ruins, he bought some time for himself, or at least he thought he did. One look at his right and he could see even the damn VEKTOR slowly inching towards that monster.

There was no way he could let that happen. If there was any chance at killing whatever that thing was, it was the VEKTOR.

His grip became weaker and weaker as seconds passed. Despite all his strength, he eventually ended up releasing his grasp and quickly falling backwards. There was only one thing that could save him now from a possible end.

It was time to improvise.

Materializing the Damned Cowboy, he desperately searched for a weak spot where there was, seemingly, none.

"No!"

He aimed at one eye located on its left leg and until he depleted his magazine. Now it looked swollen and ready to burst should it be interacted with. He reloaded and tried again.

SPLORTCH!

Said eye burst into a disgusting mix of blood and various other fluids. But it ultimately did nothing to stop the creature. At best, it made it slightly lose focus, giving a little bit more time.

He found another eye just below the lower set of teeth. Bursting that one was a guaranteed success at making that creature shut its mouth.

 **"Did you really think you could harm me with such tricks?! That you could harm anyone of us with such tricks?! Did you not realize why we call you mortals?!"**

It seemed to only irritate it. Maybe if he had any luck, he could irritate it so much to the point of it losing focus and allowing him to deal a killing blow. But how?

Angrier than ever, the living mecha slapped his hands together, creating a powerful storm that now had the opposite effect.

Braylon crashed violently crashed into some ruins. His Shield was depleted. Poking his head through the rubble, he could see a sight that he never thought possible, beyond any logical explanation.

The creature let out its almighty roar of pure hatred and rage. A large Nevermore flew over them at the same time. It crouched with its whole gargantuan body and _jumped_ high into the air. Something that a thing of that size shouldn't be capable of.

It bit off the surprised Nevermore's head before grabbing it with its monstrous claws. After it landed with earthquake-inducing power, the mechanical beast simply threw the headless corpse towards Braylon, who had no time to allow his jaw to drop. He dodged the body but not the shockwave it created, which tossed him against a wall. The Shield failed to absorb some of the damage, and eventually one of his ribs broke.

 **"You deserve nothing of what you got! Nothing!"**

The mecha rubbed its hands together, generating some strange orange glow. A moment later said hands were hovering above the ground and releasing two pillars of orange light, one per hand respectively.

"Perfect." Was Braylon's response when he realized the purpose of such tactics was to call out the reinforcements that weren't really needed, in his honest opinion.

Those orange pillars were swapped for two monsters with goat legs and red skin on the upper body. Kinda like...

"Hey, didn't I killed one of those before? Now there's two of them?" He murmured.

With a level of coordination that was unexpected, the mecha beast stepped back, allowing the two twins (because they looked so damn identical) to take care of the dirty business... or to have some fun.

One of them tossed a green fireball while the other charged at full speed. Braylon crouched to evade the fireball and jumped to the left to escape from the two hammer-like fists of the brawler, which broke the concrete as if it were wet paper.

Our Vault Hunter materialized the Bullpup shotgun and fired at the brawler while also evading the fireball onslaught. Due to emptying the whole damn magazine, the brawler's body became Swiss cheese with flesh and intestines sticking out. He put it out of its misery by firing one final shot, which split its body in half (with the upper part falling behind the lower) and thus exposing large amounts of green blood.

While dodging more fireballs, Braylon pondered as to why did the mecha called those two when it clearly was able to finish the job by itself. One, and the most likely, answer was that they were simply there to make him more tired so that the big guy could simply kill him.

Clenching his teeth in fury, and swapping Bullpup for Boreas, he fired a rocket straight into the red-skinned monster's chest. What a face he had made when he saw that it barely scratched the fucking thing, as it took a step forward, as if to say "that's the best you've got"?

He roared a fired four more rockets, blasting it to smithereens. One leg and arm were blown away while the body looked like it had been run over by several hundred cars. Curiously, the mecha wasn't bothered a single bit, as it resumed its role as if the twins had never appeared.

 **"It's only a matter of time before we exterminate you all like pests you are! A proper end for a mortal!"**

A large blue sphere appeared in each palm as it stretched the hands, each on the opposite side. As the palms moved towards each other, so did the spheres, until both of them fused and emitted a bright blue light before transforming into a larger sphere with a creepy grinning face directed at him. It even laughed as it was thrown at him.

Braylon desperately ran and jumped over obstacles, but it was all for nothing, for the sphere followed him like a homing missile.

After jumping over a car, Braylon hid in a ruined building. The sphere-bullet passed right through the walls like a ghost, making him shit in his pants. God only knew what would that thing do if it hit him.

So after making a makeshift exit with his Boreas, the young Vault Hunter had the idea of letting the mecha to try its own medicine. He simply ran as fast as he could towards it, who tried to squash him like a bug with its leg. Before said leg could strike the ground, Braylon was already behind it and the blue bullet crashed against its leg. The scream it let out was enough to make him bleed from his ears, a damage that was quickly repaired as Braylon popped another eye with a careful shot of his Boreas.

Honestly, it didn't look like it hurt that much, but at least it was too busy to focus on its own pain. This in turn gave him the opportunity to reach the VEKTOR, enter and aim the barrels at the mecha/monster hybrid.

Since it would take too much time to fire a full-power shot, time that he certainly didn't have, he waited for the power to charge at fifteen percent, which took about five minutes, and fired.

FWOOOM!

He was sure that the blast, while weak, would be enough to finish it off. But when the smoke cleared, all he could see was a steaming, slightly burnt robot monster with many of the eyes either fried or half closed.

That was it, he thought. He had to blast it with a full-power shot. Unbelievable, considering the fact that toys like that are used to obliterate spaceships that barely reached the orbit of a planet.

But wait, the mecha predicted his intentions and replied by opening its mouth and letting out two large red monsters with spherical bodies covered in spikes who also had one glowing green eye over a large mouth twisted into a grin, exposing sharp teeth and bluish, seemingly unending, depths. They were quickly approaching the vehicle.

He had no other chance but to fight them. But that meant that he had to leave the console and that meant that the cannons couldn't be charged.

So he smashed the console, setting the whole thing into overload and got out to deal with the two flying problems.

One hissed as it spat out a ball of plasma while the other distanced itself, presumably to attack him from behind.

Braylon materialized Fusillade and fired at the one who tried to flank him. It wasn't as resistant as the two brutes from before, so it quickly succumbed to the bullet barrage, falling on the floor and spilling out its organs filled with blue blood.

The only reason that Braylon managed to save his life right then was because he saw something approaching at the corner of the eye. Turning his head slightly, he stared directly into the hellish pit that was the mouth of the second monster, ready to bite him in half with its teeth. He instinctively jumped from the vehicle and on the cold, hard ground, thus evading a possible gruesome end.

Filled with rage for the monster's bold attempt, he unloaded half of the remaining rounds into the monster. First few bullets pierced the eye and pulverized a large chunk of the upper body, near said eye. It fell to the ground, covered in blood and spasming uncontrollably.

He didn't stop there. As he continued to squeeze the trigger, another, even bigger chunk of the body exploded in a shower of gore. What remained was the lower parts of the body and a very messed up mouth.

The mecha was still distracted and in pain, allowing Braylon to jump into VEKTOR. A broken screen informed him that the cannons were suffering a malfunction that could potentially be fatal should he fire. So to make sure it would work, the young Vault Hunter went to the driver's seat, stepped on the pedal, and moved VEKTOR towards the mechanical beast in an attempt to tackle the damn thing with it.

Unfortunately, depending on perspective, the creature sensed the fast approaching vehicle and used its large hands to grab the speeding tank. Braylon smashed everything he could and immediately ran out.

The turret had its barrels pointed straight to the half-blind monster's abdomen. Seconds after Braylon ran away, VEKTOR unloaded its attack at point-blank range. It was so powerful, that it managed to create a huge hole in said abdomen and set the building behind them on fire. It must have hurt a lot, because the mecha released its hold, letting VEKTOR to ram itself at full speed into its body, sending both of them towards the burning construction, resulting in ever arsonist's wet dream.

KA-BOOOM!

( **AN:** You can stop the music.)

Braylon released a sigh of relief. The deed was done. He won. Also his pendant was shinier than ever.

The surge of endorphine he felt at his victory really felt great. This was the stuff dreams were made off. He still had no idea what that thing was tho...

Bzzz! Bzzz!

His PDA buzzed. A sign that he was picking up a signal and/or message. But let's see what it was.

"Hello? Hello, hello? Finally! I thought we would lose the signal!" Came a voice from his device. "Wait. Don't talk, listen. I don't have much time left. My name is Captain Francis Gutram, leader of the Dahl V-22-R67 under the command of Admiral Patterson. I know who you are and I know what happened. The bastard deserved whatever he got. Listen, we need to see each other face to face. My ship is located not far from your current position. Please come as soon as possible. I am sending you the coordinates. Good luck."

Braylon whistled. A Dahl spaceship? A Dahl spaceship that crashed on the surface of Remnant? A Dahl spaceship that was crashed on the surface of Remnant, which belonged to Patterson?

He immediately knew what that meant. Answers. Much, _much_ needed answers. Pieces of this clusterfuck of a puzzle that would lead him to something!

Without further ado, he stashed all his shit and went towards the position marked on his map. According to the info he got, that spaceship was located somewhere outside of the city, into the Grimm-infested wilderness. A risk worth taking.

And so our hero on another journey, one of many, to learn about his past and to position himself in the middle of this madness. But as he got away, he failed to notice a slight, barely audible laugh coming from the still-burning inferno.

* * *

( **AN:** Play "Into the Wasteland", ost from Fallout 3.)

Braylon was sure he was walking for hours through the damn forest and he still failed to find any decent lifeform other than trees or grass. Even Grimm weren't present. Strange considering that, once again, this was supposed to be a Grimm-infested place.

The whole forest, while beautiful-looking with its huge trees and irregular terrain, was unusually quiet. Normally a forest can be considered a natural zoo, because there was always a chance that you would see plants and animals of any kind, ranging from flowers and bugs to trees and boars.

But this... it was so quiet, not even the birds could be heard.

Thinking that something was going horribly wrong, he prepared himself for every possible nasty surprise that he could encounter. It could easily be attributed to paranoia, but better alive than dead at any day.

Allowing himself to check the map on his PDA, he found out that he was really close to the spaceship. Walking a few meters forward, and he found it in the middle of a huge crater. Most of it was buried in the ground so he was able to see only a small, yet big, portion sticking out. He wondered why no one from the kingdom bothered to give it a check. Maybe the Grimm posed a problem, but during his trip he found none.

The spaceship was placed horizontally, with said portion being in a very bad shape, almost decaying. The roof seemed to have gone missing while the walls were dull and rusty. It was the only greenish thing in that sea of dirt that was the crater.

So how did he reach the glorified tin can? He decided to slide towards it using the crater. It looked like he was performing a dance, for he would first slide a couple of meters, then find a rock to hold on, then search the surrounding, then repeat the same process again.

While he did so, he also thought about something. It really bothered him that the Dahl spaceship was on Remnant, just like he was. It looked old and rusty, and yet the equipment of those soldiers back there was as good as new. Then there was the fact that said spaceship belonged to Patterson, meaning that it couldn't crash here before his arrival, unless there was something else he didn't know about.

Reaching the engines, Braylon went for searching an exit door used by the engineers for when there was a repair that needed to be done. It didn't take long to find it, but it took rather long to reach it, because the only access he had was rather high and he had to reach it with a healthy dose of alpinism.

Opening the damaged door, he found himself in a small, metallic hallway. After sitting for a few minutes to regain his strength, he proceeded forward.

What... the... fuck.

* * *

( **AN:** Now start playing the jungle theme from Terraria.)

It... it was a jungle... the gigantic room, completely made of metal, had a _jungle_ in itself!

He rubbed his eyes, stared and rubbed some more when he saw the scenery. It didn't look like someone brought it there. Worse, it looked like it _grew_ there. The fact that the trees were mahogany of all things, made him think that he was starting to see things again.

He took a step and was immediately surprised by the grass that was under his shoes. _Real_ grass. Growing on metal. There were even genuine vines!

Wow, that actually blew his fucking mind. Like, ka-pow!

A nearby bush started shaking. Braylon prepared himself for whatever would come out.

I'll be damned. It was an innocuous fruit bat. Phew.

Just as Braylon sighed, something else jumped out and tried to bite him. It looked like a mutated, and gigantic, version of a carnivorous plant. It went down with two revolver hits.

Okay... okay... calm down... that was just a man-eating plant that could be found in every square meter of that jungle-in-a-box. What could possibly go wrong?! Heh...

The young Vault Hunter stopped and searched for any way to get out of that nightmare. Luckily for him, there was a bridge above his head that lead to another door. Now he just needed to find the stairs.

Finding those was easy, since the place wasn't so big and the vegetation didn't block his path, apart from few more man-eating plants. But as he approached them, he noticed how something huge was sleeping right at very base of the stairs.

Oh, it was a giant tortoise.

And it was unhappy that the asshole of a human dared to disturb its sleepy time.

Ha! So what, you say. It's just a tortoise! How much harm can it do?! Except that this tortoise hid into its shell and fucking tossed itself towards our hero in an attempt to crush his ass to dust.

"Shit!" He jumped down right in time to avoid getting hit. The giant shell slammed into a tree, bringing it down.

"Okay, time for me to get the fuck out of here." He murmured to himself as he ran upstairs and towards the exit, fearing that the animal might try its dirty trick once more. Pulling a lever, he moved the door, jumped forward and closed it behind himself.

* * *

( **AN:** Now this one is a bit complicated so I will make it easy for you by posting a link. Once you open it, search in the description for a song called Pounding Headache". watch?v=GgM5TyTwf08)

BANG! BANG!

BANG!

Braylon tensed up. The gunshots he heard were bad news, even if he wasn't the target. So after he readied his Unforgiven and Chimera, he turned around and walked down the hallway. Strangely enough, the walls weren't metallic, but made of large blue bricks. The floor was checkered and the lights looked very old.

This place was so fucked up...

He heard someone yelling, followed by more gunshots. Peeking around the corner, he saw a man dressed in a brown military uniform getting shot by a Dahl marine. The ground was covered in corpses and blood. This meant more problems for him, as he was sure that the marine wouldn't think twice and just fire at him, seeing him as a threat.

Jumping to the floor, Braylon fired a shoot with the Chimera, shocking the surprised marine and depleting his shield. He then fired a shot with his unforgiven right into the marine's throat, killing him.

As he lay on the ground, he got the chance to take a closer look at one of the brown uniforms.

It had a swastika.

"Nazis?" He said out loud.

And not just any Nazi. This guy had an MP 40, the typical German weapon during the second World War.

Okay, a jungle inside a spaceship was acceptable. World War Nazis? Not so much. Either someone took the Haloween party way too seriously, or...

"Halt!"

Braylon raised his head and stared down the barrel of a Gewehr 41. The German was shaking in his boots, obviously freaked out at the sight of someone possessing superior tech than him.

He didn't even bother that he blew the German's leg off with the Unforgiven, making him bleed to death. Serves him right for threatening peaceful and honest, tax-paying citizens.

Standing up, he heard a whisper in his ear before feeling very strange, as if he had just come out of days-long meditation.

But there was no time to waste. Something strange was happening inside the spaceship. Perhaps the general would be willing to explain. If he could get to him first, that is. And seeing how a war broke between Dahl and 20th century Nazis, it would be a rather difficult task.

Proceeding forward he ended up in a room filled with overturned tables, Nazi portraits and two factions shooting the crap out of each other. Obviously, the Marines had the upper hand over the Nazis, who dropped like flies. Braylon could see a portal (similar to the one back in Atlas) behind the tiny Nazi fortification. One soldier would jump out of it once in a while, only to be killed several minutes later.

"Hey! It's the Vault Hunter!" One muffled voice yelled. It was a marine who spotted him. Before said marine could even do anything, Braylon jump-rolled to the right and fired a shot with Chimera, covering the target and few members of his team with acid as soon as the bullet exploded. It felt like as if he knew where that marine would point his gun.

Same thing happened to other marines, those who survived the acid Braylon tossed earlier. Before they could react, Braylon would dodge, jump, duck and then kill them. To a simple bystander, Braylon was just trying so hard to not get hit. For the Vault Hunter, however, it was predicting actions before they could even be executed. He had no idea how could he do that. He just did.

After he killed the last marine, the Nazis decided it would be a good idea to shoot a kid who just wiped out a whole team of high-tech soldiers. Wasting no time, Braylon materialized Boreas, loaded four explosive rockets into the gun and fired at the fortification, blowing it away and burying it, and the portal, in a massive pile of dirt, metal and wood.

The only living thing that remained in that room was him. Everything else was dead meat. Even the altered state he felt vanished. There was only one thing left to do; leave the area through that door.

There was just one tiny problem.

FWOOOOSH!

( **AN:** Play "Luna's training course", ost from Ratchet and Clan: Size Matters.)

* * *

"Gurgle!"

Oh dear God, what hit im? He remembered opening a door and... wait.

Why was he underwater?!

He immediately closed his mouth and frowned. His eyes caught a faint light coming from the door he opened. Swimming through floating obstacles, like corpses, Braylon was able to pass a small, dimly-lit hallway and reach the surface.

"Gasp!"

The area looked like some kind of a tropical paradise or something. From his current position, he could see a small sand island with a palm on his right, where a large, blue, one-eyed crab played with its prey. Everything else was one giant lake. Actually, this was not just one area, but two, judging from the destroyed wall further away. Adjusting the eyes upwards, one could see a portal spitting out water like a waterfall, providing said place with large amounts of the life-giving liquid.

Braylon coughed as he went for the sand island. He was soaking wet.

"What are you looking at?" He spat at the crab who got offended and ran away.

Sighing, the Vault Hunter took some time to check the area. He saw a large metallic platform connected to an elevator not far away from him. A small group of marines guarded it from some kind of flying green robots. Said robots looked like humanoids minus the legs, with hands that could switch into small laser cannons.

He had to approach the situation carefully. Let the two fight each other while he slips towards the elevator. The only way to do that was to dive underwater.

As he swam, one robotic body fall in the water right in front of him. Startled, he instinctively went for the surface. Unfortunately as he gasped, he caught the attention of one Dahl marine, who turned around and aimed his SMG at him. A robot came to the rescue by shooting him in the back. As the wounded marine fell into the water, Braylon was able to materialize his Holo Sabre and stab it through the robot's head. It twitched slightly before it exploded into pieces.

Grabbing the edge of the platform and jumping, Braylon immediately got up and ran towards the elevator, ignoring the shots that chipped away at his Shield. Turning around, he smashed a button while noticing a fast approaching robot. The elevator closed before it could do anything. According to his PDA, he was going right towards the general's position, which Braylon assumed to be the spacious pilot cabin of the spaceship.

* * *

( **AN:** Play Nekrosis by Enmarta.)

Braylon finally reached the pilot cabin. The only light in the whole room was his shiny pendant, and even that was not enough to illuminate it completely. As for the sight, it was everything but what he expected. The consoles and monitors were offline and the only thing one could see through the large windows (in 180 degrees, following the shape of the cabin) was tons and tons of dirt. He saw someone sitting at the pilot seat, with lots of blood forming a pool below it. Something was written at the right side of the window, but it was too dark to see it properly. At the left, there was a door that probably leads to the general's private room.

"General?" He asked loudly as he slowly approached the seat. Of course, he already knew it was futile. "General Gutram?"

When he reached the seat he turned it around and, holy fuck, there was his general, with his throat slit and tongue hanging out, completely covered in blood. He held a Torgue pistol in his hand, suggesting he knew that something would attack him. But what disturbed him was the fact that the body looked like it was several days old... and if the body was several days old...

Then who sent that message?

"What the fuck is going on here?" He asked loudly, nervous and slightly terrified at the conclusion he received so casually without any warning. Only now he could see the writing on the window, which was "SURPRISE" written completely in blood.

His breathing became faster without him even noticing it. He decided to inspect the private room for any clues. The door was locked so he had to open it by force. Just like the cabin, the room was also dark and messy. No device seemed to work, so Braylon decided to check the only metallic shelf present. There were three boxes that he opened, each containing something. One contained some malfunctioning ECHO recorders, one contained useless junk and the third was actually something useful.

It had two things, one Jakobs double-barreled shotgun* and one memory card. Stashing the shotgun into his inventory, he inspected the memory card. It was something that belonged to a PDA and Patterson had one. Could that card be a backup memory? To know for sure, he stuck it into the newly-formed connector on his device.

 **Loading data. Elaboration... elaboration... downloading.**

He hit a jackpot, for the memory card contained everything of Patterson's own device, ranging from information to files and even an upgrade for his HWM. The latter consisted in upgrading his Holo Sabre to Holo Sabre 2.0** and adding a new tool for him to use: the Holo Ripper***, a holographic chainsaw. Apart from that, everything else was useless.

( **AN:** Stop the music.)

RRRUUUUMMBLE!

The ground started shaking out of control. An earthquake?!

Braylon ran out to the cabin. The dirt outside the window seemed to move upwards. But what really caught his attention was the corpse, who started twitching as a purplish aura surrounded its very frame, making it levitate slightly in the air. It didn't stay straight, rather, the upper body fell forward, giving it the appearance of a hunchback. The eyes opened, revealing a glow of the same colour.

"So the little moth had finally succumbed to its own demise." It was the three voices, speaking as one. "I would have shed a tear if it weren't so... predictable." Their voices now seemed clearer. The feeling of hearing them coming out from the flesh felt so much different than hearing them in the mind. It was deeper, otherworldly, threatening. "I warned you what would happen if you kept following the path you took. And yet, against all common sense, you went forward."

He frowned. "What's going on? Why did the earthquake happen?"

"Still as ignorant as ever, aren't you?"

The dirt on the outside started losing its dark colour, slowly turning into a lighter shade of brown.

"That word on the wall... do you know what it means?"

"A surprise?"

"Exactly. Not the type one could expect, unfortunately."

"So... what now? Will I find a way home?"

"..."

"Anything?"

"...But you _are_ going home, little mortal."

( **AN:** Play the victory music from the very first DOOM.)

Now the dirt's colour became lighter and lighter, changing from brown to yellow, only to become redder and redder. The cabin lit up, revealing every nook and cranny. Even the air became hotter.

"But it's not just a home. Actually, think of it as a house where you spend your holidays... forever."

"What are you talking about?"

"Different Worlds see it differently. Many faces of the same medal, really."

Braylon started feeling the hot air a little more than he should. Breathing became almost unbearable.

"Many races, many cultures, many names."

The light coming from the earth outside became really bright. Braylon, still having trouble, walked towards the windows just so he could see what gave it said property.

"Wait, are we descending?"

"The Nether, Underworld, Elsewhere. To your kind, however, it is known by a rather unique name..."

Braylon's eyes widened as the scenery from outside changed drastically.

"Little mortal, welcome to..."

He screamed.

"Hell."

* * *

 **New items acquired!**

 **a)** **Admiral Patterson's Orphan Maker**

" **Now with even more orphans!" - Doesn't have the curse as Blade's Orphan Maker.**

 **\- Consumes 2 ammo per shot**

 **\- Ammo capacity 2/2**

 **\- Low pellet count, massive damage bonus**

* * *

 **b) Holo Blade 2.0**

 **\- Upgraded version of Holo Blade**

 **\- Slightly longer than standard Holo Blade (melee attacks have longer range)**

 **\- Increased attack speed** **(+20%)** **and damage** **(+300%)**

- **Piercing damage (while the enemy protection isn't outright ignored, their damage reduction because of said protection is lower)**

* * *

 **c) Holo Ripper**

 **\- Short ranged melee weapon**

 **\- Melee damage increased by 200%**

 **\- Continous attack (Ripper attacks without stopping)**

 **\- Piercing damage**

 **\- The longer an enemy is under attack, the more damage is increased**

 **\- Extremely effective vs flesh (unprotected enemies suffer massive damage)**

 **\- Slightly effective vs armor**

 **\- Loud (activating Ripper will alert all nearby enemies)**


	76. Warning!

**You know, I feel like I should restart the fic from scratch. There is simply stuff I am not happy about. So yeah, I am soon going to delete this story and start it again. Some things will still remain the same while some will get completely changed. Hopefully it will be good this time, and no amount of triggered snowflakes will make me retreat! The first chapter should come out soon, so stay tuned for the new and improved version of this fic! As for now, bye bye!**


	77. Rewrite Is Out!

**Okay. I decided to keep the story on the site, since there are some who still like it. In other news, the rewrite is out! It is called "A Hunt Like No Other". Definitely, in my opinion, a polished version of this story, with some new features. As for now, it is currently on chapter two. I only wrote this to alert everyone who is still unaware. Also, happy new year, everyone!**


End file.
